35c 


THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 
OF  CALIFORNIA 

LOS  ANGELES 


NEW  NOVELS 

BY 

JULIE   P.    SMITH. 

1. — WIDOW  GOLDSMITH'S  DAXJOHTKB. 
8. — CHBIS  AND  OTHO. 
8. — TOE  WIDOWER. 

4. — TOE  M  Alllt  I  ED  BELLE. 

5. — TEN  OLD  MAIDS. 

6. — COURTING  AND  FARMING.    (NgV>.) 

7. — nis  YOUNG  WIFE.     (In  prtss.) 

"The  novels  by  this  author  are  of  unusual  merit,  un 
commonly  well  written,   clever,  and  character 
ised  by  great  wit  and  vivacity.    They 
arc  growing  popular  and  more 
popular  every  day." 


All  iMued  uniform  witn  thin  volume.    Price  91.75  each, 
and  sent  by  mail,  pottage  free,  on  receipt  of  price, 

BY 

G.  W.  CARLBTON  <k  CO.*  Publishers, 
Mew  York. 


His  YOUN-G  WIFE 


A   NOVEL. 


BY 

JULIE    P.   SMITH, 

AUTHOR  OF 

"WIDOW  GOLDSMITH'S  DAUGHTER,"  "TEN  OLD  MAIDS," 
"CHRIS  AND  OTHO,"  ETC.,  ETC. 


"  Marriage  is  the  nursery  of  Heaven.  The  state  of  marriage  fills  up  the  number  of 
the  elect,  and  hath  in  it  the  labor  of  love ;  the  delicacies  of  friendship ;  the  blessing  of 
society,  and  the  union  of  hands  and  hearts.  She  that  is  loved  is  safe,  and  he  that 
loves  is  joyful." — JEREMY  TAYLOR. 


NEW    YORK: 

G.   W.    Carleton  c§-   Co.,  Publishers. 

LONDON  :     S.  LOW  &  CO. 
MDCCCLXXVIL 


COPYRIGHT  BY 

G.  W.  CARLETON  &  CO., 
1876. 


JOHN  F.  THOW  &  SON, 

PRINTERS  AND  BOOKBINDERS, 

305-313  Katt   \?th  Strttt, 

NEW   YUKK. 


S 


To 

GEORGE  W.  CARLETON, 

MY  FRIEND  AND  PUBLISHER. 
AND   MAY   NOT   "THE  YOUNG  WIFE"  BE    SAFELY  AND 

CONFIDENTLY   CONSIGNED    TO    BIS  CARE, 

WHO  WAS   NEITHER  ASTONISHED  NOR  DISMAYED 

BY    "A  WIDOWER,"    "TEN  OLD  MAIDS," 

OR  A   "  MARRIED  BELLE." 


894473 


PREFACE. 


Lux  and  I  had  just  finished  a  story  by  which  we 
were  well  entertained. 

"Dear  old  woman,"  said  Lux,  "  I  wish  you  would 
try  your  hand  at  something  in  this  vein.  There's  Sam 
Slaughter  he  ought  to  have  a  gift  from  the  Lord,  that 
is,  a  wife." 

"  Of  a  truth  good  Lux  thou  sayest  well:  I  am  minded 
to  set  about  it  straight,  and  twelve  moons  shall  not  wax 
and  wane  before  the  man  Sam  is  mated." 

The  position  of  the  center  figures  toward  each  other 
has  been  a  favorite  one  among  novelists.  I  have  myself 
found  a  like  couple  in  one  English  tale,  two  French, 
two  German,  and  one  Swedish.  The  working  out  of 
each,  following,  of  course,  the  bent  of  their  creating 
minds  ;  for  how  sayeth  old  Ben  Johnson  :  "  A  man  is 
not  better  known  by  his  face  than  by  his  written  works, 
if  so  be  he  draweth  his  discourse  from  his  own  braine, 
and  be  not  a  book-botcher." 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  PAGB 

I. — "  He  Receives  Comfort  Like  Cold  Porridge  " 1 1 

II. — The  Despised  Fornarina 22 

III. — "  She  Hath  many  Nameless  Virtues" 31 

IV. — Two  Horns  of  a  Dilemma 40 

V. — Parson  Hethwaite  at  Home 42 

VI.—"  The  Eye  of  Prudence  is  not  Shut " 60 

VII. — The  Barmecidian  Feast 64 

VIII.—"  The  Devil  Behaves  to  Us  even  as  He  Finds  Us  " 68 

IX. — The  Night  before  the  Wedding 75 

X. — Malcolm's  Dancing  Bear 82 

XI. — Looking  Ahead  with  a  Vengeance 87 

XII. — "  Love  Me  if  I  Live,  Love  Me  if  I  Die  " 93 

XIII. — A  Time  to  Love  and  a  Time  to  Hate 97 

XIV.—"  He  Tempers  the  Wind  to  the  Shorn  Lamb" 107 

XV.—"  Let  us  Sit  on  the  Ground  and  Tell  Sad  Stories  " 112 

XVI. — Only  Housekeeper  and  Governess 118 

XVII. — "A  Beautiful  Woman  Commands  the  Gods " 122 

XVIII. — "  House  Goes  Mad  when  Women  Gad  " 127 

XIX.— "Qui  AimeBien,  Bien  Chatie  " 135 

XX.—"  Pas  a  Pas  on  Va  Bien  Loin  " 137 

XXI. — "  Sermons  in  Stones  and  Good  in  Everything  " 144 

XXII.—"  These  be  My  Jewels  " 147 

XXIII.—"  If  you  Wish  for  Peace,  Prepare  for  War  " 151 

XXIV.— The  Picnic  in  the  Wood 155 

XXV.—"  With  Roses  and  Lilies  and  Daffadowndillies  " 178 

XXVI. — The  Dog  Sam  has  an  Escape 190 

XXVII. — Perdita  Carries  a  Point  with  the  Parson 197 

XXVIII.— Peine  Forte  et  Dure 201 

XXIX. — Perdita  Demands  her  Wages 206 

XXX. — The  Autumn  Leaves  and  the  Fire- Dogs 214 

XXXI.—"  A  Child  in  a  House  is  a  Well-Spring  of  Joy  " 220 

XXXII.— A  Wild  Day  at  Blithebeck 228 


x  Contents. 

CHArntx  PACK 

III.— What  Perdita  Saw  in  the  Studio 237 

.  I V.  — "  In  Piping  Times  of  Peace  " 243 

X  \XV.-Perdita  Reads  Longfellow 261 

X  \XVI.—«'  Commend  a  Wife,  but  Remain  a  Bachelor  " 264 

"  After  the  Harvest,  Golden  Sheaves  " 267 

111.— "Betty  is  a  Lady,  and  Wears  a  Gold  Ring" 271 

X  XXIX.      M  ;>s  Meddlesome  and  her  Grandmother 275 

XL. — "Let  us  Eat,  Drink,  tyid  be  Merry" 278 

XLI.—"  Jack  and  Jill  went  up  the  Hill" 295 

XLII.— "  Woman's  Book  is  the  World  " 308 

X  LI  II. — "  How  near  to  Good  is  what  is  Fair  " 313 

X  I  .IV. — "  A  Rose  with  all  its  Sweetest  Leaves  yet  Folded  " 316 

XLV.— "  How  shall  I  Your  True  Love  Know  ?  "   321 

XLVI.— «•  The  More  there  is  of  Mine,  the  Less  there  is  of  Yours  "  325 

XLVII.— "  What  is  Mine  is  Thine,  My  Pretty  Bettine" 

XLVIII.— "Under  the  Tub  the  Slipper  Goes" 334 

XLIX. — Stratum  Super  Stratum 741 

L. — Beauty  and  the  Beast 344 

LI. — "  Only  Housekeeper  and  Governess  " 357 

"  Let  no  Man  Mock  Me,  for  I  will  Kiss  Her  " 358 

1 .1 1 1.— Cicely,  the  Little  Rose-Bud 365 

LIV.— "So  He  Rode  and  He  Rode  on  his  Milk- White  Steed"  374 

LV. — "  Trot,  Trot  to  Market,  to  Buy  a  Loaf  of  Bread  " 379 

LVI. — A  Romance  in  a  Calf- Pen 384 

LVII. — Pleasant  Days 392 

LVIII. — The  Parson  Demands  his  Fine  Coat 397 

I. IX. — "  Love  Sailed  a  Match  with  Time  " 401 

-"  Daughter,  be  of  Good  Cheer" 415 

LXI.— "  Whither  Goest  Thou,  Pilgrim  Stranger  ?  " 420 

1  XII.— Good-By,  Sweetheart  ! 424 

I.XIII.— "The  Good  Men  do  Live  after  Them  " 427 

]. XIV. — "  For  Thee  was  a  House  M.  le  crc  Thou  wast  Born". .  430 

LXV.— "  When  She  will,  She  will,  You  may  Depend  On't " 435 

LX VI.  — Cicely,  Vance  Finds  her  Vocation 440 

LXVII. — Cincinnatus  Returns  to  his  Plough 443 

III.  — "God  send  us  Pleasant  Dreams" 445 

i  X.— Mr.  Slaughton  Declines  to  Play  the  Fool 446 

J.XX.— A  Posse  ad  Esse 448 


HIS  YOUNG   WIFE. 


CHAPTER     I. 

HE   RECEIVES   COMFORT   LIKE   COLD    PORRIDGE." 


RS.  SLAUGHTON  had  been  watching 
her  son,  "  off  and  on,"  for  five  minutes  or 
more  without  speaking.  Although  he  was 
well  worth  her  scrutiny,  it  was  quite  evi 
dent  she  got  little  pleasure  out  of  it. 

He  was  the  pride  of  her  eyes,  but  not 
the  joy  of  her  heart  at  this  precise  time, 
because  she  saw  plainly  that  his  thoughts 
were  not  with  her ;  that  when  he  did  reply  to  any  of  her  re 
marks,  he  seemed  to  come  out  of  a  world  of  his  own,  peopled 
with  strangers  whose  names  and  inclinations  towards  him  he 
never  disclosed  to  her,  and  he  retired  into  it  again  wilh  the 
shutting  of  his  lips. 

It  was  nothing  new  either.  She  was  often  conscious  that  his 
preoccupation  held  him  aloof  from  her,  having  some  cause  she 
was  not  able  to  fathom. 

In  June  he  had  returned  from  his  last  journeying,  California 
this  time.  The  absence  before  that  took  him  to  Egypt,  and 
so  through  the  gone  years  since  he  was  twenty-one,  always  a 
wanderer. 


12         "He  Receives  Comfort  Like  Cold  Porridge." 

To  be  sure  his  profession  afforded  sufficient  reason  for  his 
nomadic  life,  and  his  pictures  were  in  good  demand. 

lint  Mrs.  Slaughton  had  a  purpose  in  her  mind  which  words 
had  failed  as  yet  to  help  on,  anil  which  was  an  ever-] 
source  of  trouble  because  it  would  not  arrive  at  completion. 
And  she  turned  it  over  in  her  thoughts  and  wishes,  while  she 
fretfully  rocked  herself  to  and  fro  in  her  swaying  chair,  and 
drew  her  thread  across  and  across  the  little  star  of  white  wax 
she  took  from  the  pocket  of  her  work-basket,  till  it  was  stiff  and 
firm  enough  to  hem  through  a  sail-cloth.  And  finding  she  only 
tore  the  heels  she  wished  to  mend,  she  pulled  it  out  of  her 
needle  and  laid  it  aside,  and  threaded  a  fresh  piece,  letting  the 
wax  alone  this  time  as  an  unnecessary  aid. 

"Samuel!"  she  said  at  length,  seeming  to  come  to  the  ex 
pression  of  her  desires  with  the  last  darn  and  the  folding  up  of 
the  last  pair  of  socks  of  the  week's  mending.  "  Samuel,  my 
son,  you  must  get  married." 

Mr.  Slaughton  broke  up  his  meditations,  and  abruptly  took 
leave  of  a  group  of  memories  he  had  been  conjuring  amongst 
his  smoke- wreaths,  and  enjoying  with  the  sedate  tranquillity 
conferred  upon  the  votaries  of  nicotina,  and  turned  his  gaze, 
which  had  been  fixed  upon  the  airy  dance  of  some  golden 
maple  leaves  away  down  by  the  gate,  towards  the  speaker,  and 
a  queer  smile  played  over  his  features. 

His  light  brown  hair  and  eyebrows,  his  very  fair  mustache, 
and  full  rolling  lips  gave  him  an  air  of  effeminate  softness, 
which  his  clear  eyes,  penetrating  and  thoughtful,  wide  forehead 
and  firm  lower  jaw,  entirely  contradicted.  He  looked  like  a 
man  slow  to  arouse  to  any  overt  action,  needing  powerful 
motives  to  induce  him  to  any  decided  step  involving  cither  his 
own  weal  or  other  people's.  Evidently  endowed  by  nature 
with  a  most  equable  temper,  and  much  forbearance  ;  but  in 
studying  him  closely  you  would  not  have  liked  to  pronounce 
with  certainty  as  to  the  exact  point  at  which  he  i.  :  ;i*ide 

his  laisstz  faire,  or  the  speed  he  might  make  in  the  pursuit  of 


"He  Receives  Comfort  Like  Cold  Porridge"       13 

a  prize  attractive  enough  to  set  him  in  chase,  or  the  violence 
his  manifestations  of  love  or  hate  might  reach  if  he  were  once 
shaken  out  of  his  apathy,  and  kindled  with  all  the  life  he  had 
capacity  for. 

Still  it  was  patent  that  he  had  nothing  aggressive  in  his  char 
acter,  lii  fact,  smart  managing  people  often  thought  they  had 
imposed  upon  Mr.  Slaughton,  and  were  hoodwinking  and 
leading  him  by  th£  nose,  when  he  merely  permitted  them  to 
grind  all  their  little  axes  and  chuckle  over  his  dulness,  because 
he  did  not  care  enough  for  them  and  their  plots  to  get  up  and 
circumvent  them. 

His  voice  sounded  a  trifle  careless  as  he  replied  to  the  start 
ling  announcement  just  made  to  him  ;  it  seemed  that  the  sub 
ject  had  little  interest,  or  as  if  it  might  be  a  repetition  of  an  ap 
peal  with  which  he  was  familiar. 

"  What,  mother  !  are  you  still  determined  to  cut  the  thread 
of  my  bachelor  freedom  as  you  snip  your  yarn  with  those  bright 
scissors  ?  I  thought  I  gave  you  the  other  evening  so  many 
reasons  for  declining  the  duties  and  obligations  of  a  Benedict 
that  you  could  never  reach  the  end  of  them ;  and  look  now, 
here  you  break  out  at  the  old  starting-point  as  fresh  as  a  west 
wind  from  Summit  Mountain,  or  the  lark  which  sings  at 
Heaven's  gate.  Truly,  if  the  stay  in  women  could  but  be  at 
tained  in  our  horses,  what  enduring  steeds  we  might  rear  ;  it  is 
beyond  belief — marvelous  !  " 

"  I  don't  know  what  you  mean  by  '  stay,'  Samuel.  I  don't 
think  it  is  proper,  or  dutiful,  or  respectful,  for  you  to  compare 
the  mother  who  bore  you  to  a  dumb  beast." 

"  Far  be  it  from  me,  mother,  to  belie  you  by  an  association 
with  any  dumb  creature." 

"  I  am  glad  to  hear  you  say  so,  Samuel,"  replied  the  old 
lady,  without  noticing  the  slightly  malicious  emphasis  her  son 
had  rested  on  the  adjective.  "And  I  do  declare!  there  is  a 
kind  of  stay  I  want  to  find  in  you,  and  that  is,  stay  at  home." 

"But,  mother,  you  must  allow — now,  mustn't  you?  that  is  a 


14        "//<?  Receives  Comfort  Like  Cold  Porridge." 

sort  of  stay  which  comes  especially  in  woman's  sphere.  You 
remember  what  your  beloved  St.  Paul  says,  '  Let  women  be 
keepers  at  home,' "  replied  the  gentleman,  in  a  tone  of  good- 
humored  bank  r. 

"Yes.  Men  are  always  willing  to  quote  the  apostle  when 
he  happens  to  meet  their  views.  It  is  true,  indeed,  that  all 
through  the  toiling  and  moiling,  woman  must  tarry  by  the  stuff. 
When  her  children  are  little  she  can't  leave  them,  and  when 
they  grow  out  of  her  arms  they  leave  her.  Right  here,  on  this 
farm,  I've  seen  the  sun  rise  and  set  ever  since  before  you  were 
born  ;  but  that  is  nothing  to  the  purpose  now,  Samuel.  And 
I  feel  hurt  and  disturbed  that  you  will  always  jest  and  quibble 
whenever  I  try  to  talk  earnest  on  this  subject.  You  can't  help 
seeing  how  much  I  have  it  at  heart.  I  consider  it  a  vital 
necessity — of  the  most  serious  importance." 

"  But  I  fail  to  find  any  such  necessity,  mother.  I  am  satis 
fied  to  take  care  of  you,  ami  keep  myself  out  of  mischief. 
Marrying  a  wife  is  too  stupendous  an  undertaking  for  a  fellow 
of  my  small  capacity.  '  Art  thou  loosed  from  a  wife  ?  Seek 
not  a  wife,'  says  St.  Paul.  I  should  have  to  confess  my  sins 
and  get  shrived,  for  '  such  shall  have  trouble  in  the  flesh.'  I 
cannot  find  the  courage.  '  I  say,  therefore,  to  the  unmarried 
and  widows,  it  is  good  for  them  that  they  abide  even  as  I.' " 

"  There  was  an  apostate  angel  who  used  to  quote  scripture, 
Sammy,"  said  Mrs.  Slaughton  with  a  smile  of  grim  amusement, 
"and  he  got  it  just  about  as  near  right  as  you  do  ;  and  remem 
ber,  there  is  a  curse  pronounced  on  those  who  pervert  the 
Sacred  Writ,  wresting  it  to  their  destruction.  So  I'd  leave  St. 
Paul  out,  if  I  was  you.  He  was  an  old  bachelor,  any  way,  and 
could  not  be  expected  to  understand  all  about  a  life  he  had 
never  tried." 

Mr.  Slaughton  threw  back  his  head  and  laughed  heartily  at 
this  heterodox  statement  ;  but  seeing  his  mother  gathering  up 
her  forces  for  a  fresh  argument,  he  hastened  to  pull  a  sober 
face,  and  say  in  a  tone  of  assured  conviction  : 


"He  Receives  Comfort  Like  Cold  Porridge"        15 

"And  really,  mother,  I  value  far  too  highly  your  importance, 
to  say  nothing  of  my  own,  to  put  my  hand  on  my  heart  and 
make  my  best  vow  to  any  other  lady.  You  surely  do  not 
covet  the  name  of  old  Mrs.  Slaughton  ?  " 

"  Coveting  don't  count ;  it  neither  helps  nor  hinders.  I  am 
old,  I  get  feeble  too  ;  I  feel  it  every  day.  I  haven't  half  the 
strength  or  endurance  I  used  to  have.  Why,  1  can  renfember 
when  I  didn't  know  what  '  tired'  meant,  and  I  never  left  do 
ing  anything  I  wished,  because  it  might  hurt  me.  I  didn't 
know  as  I  could  be  hurt ;  but  now,  Samuel,  the  days  have 
come  when  the  grasshopper  is  a  burden.  In  my  youth,  I  went 
whither  I  would  ;  before  long,  a  day  will  darken  for  me  when 
I  shall  be  carried  whither  I  would  not.  Life  is  short,  Samuel." 

"Nonsense,  mother!  I  don't  like  to  hear  you  talk  like  the 
old  vanity  preacher.  It  is  conceded  on  all  hands  that  you 
possess  the  ablest  executive  ability  of  any  woman  in  Blithebeck. 
Who  but  you  heads  all  the  donations  and  missionary  boxes, 
ordering  the  deacons  and  driving  up  the  sexton,  and  keeping 
things  in  order  generally  ?  You  know  what  Farmer  Slowgo  said 
of  you  after  you  had  watched  his  work — or  rather,  his  idleness 
in  the  barn,  in  the  hay-field,  at  the  stone  wall,  appearing  when 
he  least  expected,  keeping  him  up  to  it  when  he  wished  to 
loiter  and  lounge." 

"  I  don't  know  what  he  said  in  particular,  Samuel ;  of  course 
it  was  something  teazing,  or  you  wouldn't  bring  it  up  now. 
However,  you  can  go  on  and  tell  it,  if  you  want  to.  There, 
my  boy  !  if  you  would  look  that  way  at  a  girl  and  ask  her  to 
marry  you,  she'd  be  sure  to  say  '  Yes ' — and  I'd  get  a  daughter, 
and  you  a  wife  in  this  lonesome  old  house." 

"  Mother,  I  keep  my  best  expressions  for  you  ;  it  is  my 
duty  and  my  pleasure  to  do  it,  and  I  do.  So  you  don't  care  to 
hear  what  Slowgo  said  about  you  ?  " 

"  If  it  will  relieve  your  mind  to  repeat  it,  pray  go  on.  I 
know  I  shall  never  get  any  serious  talk  out  of  you  till  you  do." 

"Thank  you,  mother.      Mr.  Epaminondas  Slowgo  says  he 


1 6       "He  Receives  Comfort  Like  Cold  Porridge." 

likes  Widder  Slaughton  well  enough,  only  she  is  a  little  too 
owly" 

"  Owly  indeed  !  That  means  that  I  see  more  than  he  liki-s  I 
suppose.  Well,  I  do  say  it  wants  the  eyes  of  a  lynx  to  get  a 
day's  work  of  that  shiftless  fellow,  jogging  and  poking  as  mod 
erate  as  the  oxen,  and  dodging  under  cover  with  the  least  pat 
ter  of  rain,  as  if  he  expected  to  melt  like  a  lump  of  sugar.  I 
won't  be  put  off  with  any  of  your  nonsense  ;  you  shall  listen  to 
me." 

"  Attentively,  mother,  and  most  respectfully.  You  can't  say 
I'm  not  a  tolerable  son,  as  sons  go  ;  now,  can  you  ?  1  remem 
ber  Chandy  Goldsmith  remarked  to  Johnny  Hauxhurst  and  me 
that  we  three  were  ducks  brought  up  by  mother-hens.  You've 
stood  on  the  bank  and  watched  me  swim  off  on  the  great  pond 
of  life  ;  but  I've  paid  pretty  good  attention  to  your  clucking, 
haven't  1,  mother?" 

'•  Well,  Samuel,  you  do  surprise  me  !  First  you  compared  me 
to  a  horse,  and  now  it's  a  hen  ;  perhaps  I  shall  be  likened  to  a 
cat  next,  or  a  turkey,  or  a  goose." 

"  Or  a  dove,  mother ;  yes,  I  really  do  think  you  resemble  a 
nice  little  dove,  in  that  soft-tinted  dress.  I  feel  truly  thank 
ful  that  my  mother  never  gave  in  to  the  common  folly  of 
womankind,  and  drenched  her  locks  with  filthy  brimstone  and 
other  bad-smelling  things.  Your  gray  hair  is  so  pretty  !  You 
are  a  nice-looking  old  lady  altogether.  I'm  very  proud  of  you, 
very  proud  indeed." 

"  I'm  sufficiently  buttered,  thank  you,  Sammy,"  answered 
the  widow  dryly,  twinkling  her  eyes  at  the  speaker  ;  "  and  now, 
if  you  please,  we  will  return  to  our  subject.  It  is  quite  time 
for  you  to  settle  respectably,  and  raise  a  family,  manage  the 
farm,  keep  Slowgo  in  order,  take  hold  in  the  parish.  Your 
father  was  deacon  of  the  church  at  your  age,  and  had  charge  of 
the  town  poor  besides.  He  was  a  public  spirited  man,  your 
father  was,  Samuel.  Now,  here  you  are  thirty  years  old,  and 
you  have  never  voted  !  It  is  not  the  way  for  gentlemen  to  do— 


<{He  Receives  Comfort  Like  Cold  Porridge."        17 

American  citizens !  If  men  would  busy  their  heads  with  the 
affairs  of  our  country,  rogues  and  aliens  would  be  held  in  sub 
jection,  and  we  should  have  less  defaulting,  less  repudiation, 
less  bribery  and  corruption  ! " 

"What 'a  wise  little  mother!"  exclaimed  the  listener,  in 
real  or  pretended  admiration.  "  What  a  sagacious,  well-posted 
observer  of  passing  events  !  " 

"  I  read  the  newspapers,  Samuel,  and  I  know  that  there  was 
never  a  time  when  good,  honest  men  were  so  much  needed  as 
now.  I  should  like  to  see  you  in  Congress,  Sammy." 

"  Congress,  mother !  Heaven  forbid  !  I  should  rather  get 
married  than  go  to  that  bad  place." 

"  Get  married  first,  Samuel,  and  you  will  be  on  a  good  road 
to  all  kinds  of  usefulness.  Do  get  married,  Sammy,  there's  a 
nice  boy." 

"  But,  mother,  suppose  I  should  go  and  tie  myself  up.  Sup 
pose  I  could  bring  a  wife  to  the  old  homestead  ;  what  kind  of 
a  life  should  I  lead,  between  two  women,  both  wanting  to  rule  ! 
Don't  you  candidly  think  such  a  prospect  for  a  quiet  man  is 
appalling  ?  And  I  could  not  take  your  side,  you  know,  in  any 
strifes  or  conflicts  which  might  occur.  '  For  this  cause  shall  a 
man  forsake  his  mother  and  cleave  to  his  wife.'  And  again, 
'  He  that  is  married  careth  for  the  things  of  the  world,  how 
he  may  please  his  wife.'  So  you  see  your  chance  is  small  if  I 
once  get  married," 

"  As  if  I  was  quarrelsome  !  as  if  I  could  not  live  in  peace 
with  people  !  I  see  quite  plainly  through  your  silly  banter. 
You  are  amusing  yourself,  making  fun  of  me,  putting  aside 
carelessly  what  you  know  are  my  true  and  real  desires,  for  the 
sake  of  a  life  of  lazy,  irresponsible  ease.  You  had  rather  roam 
up  and  down  the  earth  purposeless  and  aimless,  than  to  stand 
in  your  lot  at  home.  You  are  selfish,  and  you  are  unkind  to 
the  poor  old  woman  who  has  been  only  too  willing  a  slave  to 
you  all  her  days.  But,  thank  Heaven  !  I  have  not  many  left ; 
and  after  I  am  gone,  I  suppose  you  will  bring  somebody, 


1 8        "/A  AY<v/;v..s-  Comfort  Like  Cold  Porridge" 

enough  to  make  me  turn  in  my  grave  to  see  in  the  old  house. 
IViluips  that  is  why  you  wait,  so  that  I  shall  give  no  opinion  of 
your  choice,  find  no  fault,  nor  speak  my  mind.  Dead  folks  are 
well  out  of  the  way,  and  the  living  can  do  as  they  like." 

"  Mother  ! "  interrupted  Mr.  Slaughton,  in  a  voice  of  most 
unpleasant  surprise,  "selfish!  unkind  to  you!  Come,  take 
that  back.  You  shan't  say  I  am  either  of  those.  If  you  have 
any  really  cogent  and  sufficient  reasons  for  the  queer  determi 
nation  to  double  me  up  you  seem  to  have  taken,  bring  them  on, 
and  we'll  see  what  can  be  done  in  the  light  of  them.  I  must 
confess  to  having  been  a  rover  (and  I  thank  Heaven,  he 
thought,  nobody  knows  what  a  sore  heart  I  have  carried  with 
me)  ;  but  I  forewarn  you,  if  you  get  your  will  and  I  get  a  wife, 
— whom  I  consider  a  most  inconvenient  and  unnecessary  in- 
cumbrance — if  I  do  this  to  please  you,  you  will  have  to  stand 
whatever  racket  you  pull  about  your  devoted  head  by  the  ar 
rangement  I  give  you  fair  warning — I  will  not  lift  a  finger  to 
help  you." 

"  I  am  not  afraid  of  any  trouble,  Samuel.  I  feel  so  sure  of 
getting  ease  and  comfort,  that  I  shall  take  the  risk." 

"But  the  good  reasons,  mother.  Don't  go  too  fast ;  I  must 
be  convinced  first  that  it  will  be  best  for  you." 

"  1  should  think  it  would  be  plain  that  I  need  young  eyes, 
young  hands,  young  feet,  to  do  the  work  I  shall  soon  be  unfit 
for,  since  you  put  it  on  the  ground  of  my  happiness,"  replied 
the  widow  fretfully,  tossing  her  spools  about,  and  puncturing 
the  darning-ball  with  her  big  needle.  "There's  all  Sallie's 
children  have  got  to  come  here  right  away,  f'm  too  old  to 
undertake  to  bring  up  another  family,  and  too  feeble.  I  shan't 
last  out  the  job." 

"  Have  a  governess,  then,  and  a  housekeeper  ;  get  more  ser 
vants — that's  easily  settled,"  spoke  up  Mr.  Slaughton,  quite 
briskly  for  him,  and  he  waved  both  hands  indefinitely  enough 
to  include  all  Ireland  in  his  idea  of  unfailing  suppl: 

;t  1  won't  have  a  fussy,  troublesome  thing  of  a  governess  here 


"He  Receives  Comfort  Like  Cold  Porridge"        19 

making  eyes  at  you,  and  taking  up  your  time  !  A  pretty  way 
that  would  be  to  bring  me  ease  !  And  as  for  more  servants,  the 
more  you  get  the  more  bother  and  vexation  you  pile  on  to 
yourself.  -That  is  just  like  a  man,  Samuel ;  you  positively  make 
me  think  of  your  father.  He'd  come  in  and  find  me  all  twisted 
up  with  housework ;  fifty  things  to  do,  and  only  one  pair  of  hands 
to  push  them  with ;  and  he'd  stop  and  look  at  me,  and  say : 
'  Let  your  cares  be  your  pleasures,  Patience.'  Positively,  I  used 
to  feel  as  if  I'd  like  to  throw  something  at  him,  he  provoked  me 
so  ;  and  once,  I  had  a  dreadful  boil  which  would  not  let  me 
sleep,  and  he  waked  up  and  found  rne  crying  with  the  pain,  and 
what  do  you  suppose  he  said  to  me  ?  '  What  is  the  matter, 
Patience  ?  I  am  very  sorry,  can't  you  make  a  poultice  of  some 
cold  water  and  something  ? '  and  off  he  snored  again  as  fast 
asleep  as  a  dormouse  in  January.  Such  absurd,  useless  crea 
tures  as  men  can  be,  with  their  ridiculous  suggestions  to  help  a 
woman  out  of  her  difficulties  !  You  are  as  bad  as  any  of  them, 
Samuel,  with  your  trumpery  governesses  and  servants.  Yes, 
and  worse.'' 

Widow  Slaughton  suddenly  dropped  her  voice,  which  had 
fast  risen  to  a  scolding  pitch,  being  warned  by  some  symptoms 
that  her  son  might  presently  slide  out  of  ear-shot  if  she  per 
sisted  ;  it  may  be  that  was  also  a  trick  he  inherited  from  the 
paterfamilias  now  at  rest  in  the  city  of  the  deaf  and  dumb. 

"  Besides,  Sammy,  I  want  you  to  have  an  heir  to  my  prop 
erty.  Don't  laugh  at  your  poor  old  mother  ;  but  I  do  want  to 
hold  your  son  in  my  arms  before  I  fold  them  above  my  heart  in 
the  coffin — I  do.  I  should  like  to  be  grandma  to  your  beautiful 
boy  ;  that's  the  way  I  feel,  and  you  see  if  I  don't  make  a  good 
grandma.  I  know  I  failed  often  and  often  in  being  just  such  a 
mother  as  I  ought  to,  but  I  can  do  better  now,  and  I'll  make 
up  all  you  lacked  to  little  Sammy ;  you  see  if  I  don't." 

The  old  lady  was  weeping  by  this  time,  and  she  picked  up  a 
pair  of  the  darned  socks,  and  dabbed  at  a  couple  of  tears  which 
were  slowly  trickling  down  her  cheeks,  getting  caught  among 


2O       "He  Receives  Comfort  Like  Cold  Porridge" 

the  wrinkles,  like  a  rivulet  among  gravel,  and  then  coursing  on 
afresh  till  they  dropped  on  her  hand,  from  which  she  wiped 
them,  having  been  unsuccessful  in  her  first  endeavor  to  stay 
their  journey ;  and  she  sat  rubbing  her  fingers  hard,  and  looking 
at  them,  and  sniffing  dismally,  till  her  son  spoke  again. 

Mr.  Slaughton  gazed  at  her  in  a  silence  which  was  half  cu 
rious,  half  pitiful,  thoroughly  convinced  that  she  was  in  deep 
earnest,  and  that  it  would  be  difficult  to  turn  the  current  of  her 
thoughts  from  the  marriage  scheme  she  was  evidently  nursing 
and  cherishing  in  her  soul,  altogether  monstrous  and  impossible 
as  it  seemed  to  him. 

He  rose  at  length  from  the  bamboo  chair  he  had  been  occupy 
ing,  and  walked  slowly  the  whole  length  of  the  wide  piazza,  to 
toss  away  the  cigar  which  was  only  half  smoked,  among  the 
tangled  rose-bushes  at  the  south  end.  The  ripening  leaves  over 
his  head  were  practising  the  airy  dance  they  meant  to  take  as 
soon  as  they  could  cut  loose  from  parental  bondage,  and  he 
listened  a  couple  of  seconds  to  their  "  tinkle,  tinkle,  tinkle," 
and  the  grand  sweep  of  the  wind-harps  among  the  pine  branches, 
— as  he  loitered,  looking  down  where  his  habana  had  lodged  in 
a  clump  of  red  hips,  as  if  its  tiny  breath  of  useless  smoke  held 
some  spirit  of  his  past — before  he  turned  about  and  approached 
his  mother,  still  mournfully  busy  with  her  faded  hands,  and  he 
came  so  deliberately  that  he  had  time  to  hum  the  whole  recitative 
which  begins :  "  Now  lead  me  to  the  rack  or  to  the  flames. 
I'll  thank  your  gracious  mercy,"  and  the  chagrin  and  disgust  in 
his  face  gave  the  burden  an  odd  adaptation  to  his  own  case. 

It  being,  however,  always  easier  to  be  led  than  to  stand  up 
and  resist,  he  put  his  conclusion  into  words  calculated  to  soothe 
and  please  the  only  woman  to  whom  he  was  at  present  in  the 
least  degree  accountable  for  his  actions. 

"  Well,  mother  I  "  he  began,  kindly  placing  his  hand  on  her 
shoulder,  "it  appears  you  are  fully  resolved  to  be  old  Mrs. 
Slaughton ;  you  are  anxious  to  assume  the  title  and  state  of 
dowager.  So  be  it,  then.  I  don't  know  who  it  is  my  business  to 


"He  Receives  Comfort  Like  Cold  Porridge."       21 

gratify  and  indulge,  except  you,  and  I'll  strike  a  bargain  with 
you.  If  you  can  settle  upon  a  candidate  for  the  place  who 
suits  you,  I  will  make  no  more  objections,  and  I'll  pay  the  bills 
like  a  man  ;•  but  I  will  not  be  a  spooney,  even  to  suit  you,  my 
mother." 

"  Not  a  spooney,  Samuel,  of  course  not.  But  why  should  you 
not  fall  in  love  as  well  as  another  man  ?  You  are  good-looking, 
you  are  personable,  you  are  nice,  and  you  are  rich — any  girl 
might  be  proud  to  get  you." 

"  Do  not  let  us  discuss  the  subject  of  my  possibilities," 
answered  Mr.  Slaughton  in  a  light  tone,  while  a  quick  shadow 
of  pain  darkened  his  face.  "  I  can't,  and  I  won't,  that's  all." 

"  You  oughtn't  to  say  won't  to  your  parent,  my  son,"  spoke 
up  the  widow  hurriedly,  "  although  it  is  all  just  as  I  say.  I 
won't  talk  about  it  if  you  are  so  modest.  And  of  course,  how 
should  you  know  how  you  appear  to  the  women  ?  There,  now, 
don't  bluster.  I  thank  you  for  the  will  you  show  to  please  me. 
You  won't  be  sorry  when  I  am  dead  and  gone.  You  won't, 
Sammy !  You  mark  my  words,  and  may  thy  days  be  long  in 
the  land." 

She  forbore  to  press  him  further,  fearful  of  losing  the  con 
cession  she  had  gained,  and  quite  satisfied  in  her  own  mind 
that  she  wrought  for  his  good,  and  that  once  tied  fast  he 
would  pick  up  the  duties  of  the  married  state  honorably  and 
respectably,  and  settle  down  in  the  old  homestead,  where  she 
should  be  sure  of  his  company  and  cheer  for  her  declining  years. 

"Much  obliged  to  you,  I'm  sure,"  replied  Mr.  Slaughton 
aloud ;  and  he  mentally  added,  "  They  will  not  be  many,  long 
or  short.  I  shall  leave  this  land  double  quick,  if  you  do  carry 
your  point.  Yes,  I'll  go  and  kill  tigers  in  Timbuctoo." 

"  You  are  a  good  boy,  Sammy,"  the  old  lady  went  on. 
"  Good  sons  make  good  husbands.  And  I'll  leave  the  painted 
egg-shell  china  that  Grandmother  Pritchard  brought  over  with  her, 
to  little  Sammy  in  my  will,  and  the  cuckoo  clock,  and — 

"  Festina   lente,  mother.     That   means  make   haste  slowly. 


22  The  Despised  Fornarina. 

Don't  look  cross.  I  will  not  disturb  your  agreeable  anticipations. 
I  leave  my  fate  in  your  hands.  You  are  a  smart  woman  ;  but  if 
you  can  manage  a  wedding  without  any  wooing,  you  are  a  deal 
smarter  than  I  give  you  credit  for." 

Mr.  Slaughton  did  not  take  any  anxiety  among  his  reflec 
tions  after  his  mother  left  him  ;  in  fact,  he  rather  smiled,  thinking 
he  had  been  remarkably  diplomatic  in  his  arrangement  of  conces 
sion.  "It  will  amuse  the  old  lady  to  think  about  it,  I  dare 
say.  I  was  dutiful  and  affectionate,  and  I  am  as  safe  as  a  toad 
in  a  hole.  "Tis  much  to  tread  the  ooze  of  the  salt  deeps,  to  run 
upon  the  sharp  wind  of  the  north,  to  do  me  business  in  the  veins 
o'  the  earth  when  'tis  baked  with  frost,'  sayeth  old  Prospero ; 
but  mother  hath  undertaken,  to  my  mind,  a  harder  task  than 
these.  I  can't  see  how  any  girl  can  get  to  be  my  wife  unless  I 
ask  her ;  and  that,  I  swear  by  the  roes  and  the  hinds,  I  won't 
do.  I  asked  once,  and  I  got  a  plain  "  No  ! "  from  the  sweetest 
lips  that  ever  smiled.  Heigho  !  let  me  see,  that  was  ten  years 
ago.  There  are  not  two  Sabrinas  in  this  miserable  world  ;  the 
consequence  is,  I  must  go  to  my  grave  unmated.  I'm  sorry 
to  disappoint  mother,  but  it  can't  be  helped." 


CHAPTER   II. 

THE   DESPISED    FORNARINA. 

[IDOW  SLAUGHTON  was  fain  to  make  the 
most  of  the  victory  she  had  gained  ;  and 
although  it  looked  so  impossible  to  her 
son,  she  knew  her  ground  so  much  bet 
ter  than  he  did,  that  she  was  tolerably  sat 
isfied,  and  resolved  to  lose  no  time  in 
pushing  her  plan  to  execution. 
She  C  irried  indoors  her  work,  and  finished  putting  away  the 


The  Despised  Fornarina.  23 

week's  wash,  which  she  carefully  looked  over,  making  certain 
that  each  garment  was  in  perfect  order. 

She  walked  hither  and  yon,  dreaming  a  dream  she  was  fond 
of.  She  saw  a  bright,  healthy  youngster  clinging  to  her  skirts, 
calling  her  "  Grandma  " — a  memory  of  her  past ;  a  hope  of 
her  future — her  son's  son  ;  the  object  and  recipient  of  her 
savings,  cares,  and  foresight ;  the  inheritor  of  her  husband's 
good  name,  and  her  own  good  estate. 

She  opened  her  store  closets,  and  peeped  in  with  her  house 
keeper's  eyes. 

Filled  to  fulness  with  fine  twined  linen,  gay  bed-covers,  and 
beautifully  quilted  spreads — the  patterns  of  her  own  designing, 
the  execution  of  her  own  handiwork,  the  garnering  of  an  indus 
trious  womanhood  which  had  wasted  little  time  in  idleness. 
She  passed  from  room  to  room,  dusting  here  or  there,  replac 
ing  what  was  out  of  the  order  she  liked,  and  thinking  :  "  Now 
I  shall  know  who  is  to  take  care  of  all  my  nice  things  after  I 
am  done  with  them.  I  shall  be  safe  from  leaving  mismanage 
ment  and  waste  among  this  handsome  furniture,  when  I  shut 
my  eyes  on  life.  My  son's  wife  will  have  my  son's  interest  at 
heart,  as  I  have." 

Mrs.  Slaughton  had  reason  to  be  proud  of  her  home  ;  it  was 
roomy,  commodious,  well  planned,  well  finished,  and  as  nice 
as  nice  could  be.  One  of  those  grand  halls  which  our  forefathers 
liked  for  the  entrance  to  their  houses,  ran  the  whole  length  of 
the  mansion,  opening  into  large  parlors  on  one  side,  and  on  the 
other  into  a  library  filled  with  low  book-cases  of  dark  wood, 
holding  many  elegant  and  costly  volumes  of  architectural  designs 
among  their  treasures. 

Her  husband  had  been  a  successful  builder'of  bridges,  aque 
ducts,  churches,  and  state  edifices ;  and  had  amassed  a  fortune 
in  a  short  life.  A  falling  timber  from  one  of  his  half-completed 
structures  had  put  an  end  to  his  labors,  and  left  her  without 
any  last  words  of  advice  or  counsel,  to  the  lonely  responsi 
bility  of  his  only  son  and  his  heaped-up  riches. 


24  Tlic  Despised  Fornarina. 

Above  the  carved  cases  hung  many  pictures — some  gathered 
by  Samuel  from  Old  World  collections,  some  painted  by  a  clear 
friend  of  his  early  youth,  named  Chandos  Goldsmith,  and 
others  the  fruit  of  his  own  study,  the  production  of  his  own 
pencil.  Back  of  this  rather  sombre  apartment,  was  a  tiny  din 
ing-room — so  tiny  that  the  family  had  been  in  the  habit  of  con 
sidering  it  a  most  inconvenient  defect  in  the  house  plan,  its 
size  having  been  encroached  upon  by  its  neighbor,  the  library, 
so  much  that  it  could  scarcely  hold  the  necessary  furniture. 

It  was  sniffed  at  by  the  widow  as  a  "  tucked-up  little  bother," 
and  was  a  constant  source  of  discomfort  to  Sam,  who  hated 
being  crowded,  he  being  one  of  those  gentlemen  who  like  to 
find  plenty  of  elbow  room  in  the  places  they  most  inhabit,  as 
well  as  comfortable  appliances  for  what  they  call  "  lying  off." 

The  rear  of  the  mansion  overlooked  the  garden,  and  had  a 
roomy  piazza,  which,  in  fact,  ran  around  three  sides  of  the 
building — the  front,  south,  and  west ;  supported  by  light  pillars 
railed  in  by  fantastic  iron-work  of  wheat-stalks,  corn-ears,  and 
grass-blades,  of  which  the  builder  had  himself  designed  the 
pattern.  The  cane-seated  sofas,  arm-chairs,  and  bamboo  tables, 
looked  as  if  this  airy,  commodious  gallery  might  be  a  favorite 
lounging  for  luxurious  people. 

Mrs.  Slaughton  had  a  reason,  known  only  to  herself,  for 
insisting  upon  her  son's  speedy  marriage.  She  was  a  sensi 
ble,  practical  lady,  well  informed  enough,  a  little  homely  and 
old-fashioned  in  her  dialect,  which  was  quite  apt  to  draw  its 
illustrations  from  the  untrimmed  simplicity  of  the  life  she  knew 
best.  She  was  sufficiently  proud  of  her  position  among  her 
neighbors,  of  her  husband's  untarnished  memory,  of  her  son's 
artistic  skill  and  good  looks,  of  Blithebeck,  and  in  fact,  of  what 
ever  belonged  to  her  ;  proud,  of  course,  in  a  humble,  pious  way, 
"For  what  we  have  now  received,  etc."  She  was  a  good  Chris 
tian,  an  active  member  of  her  church — whose  communion  service 
she  had  been  careful  to  keep  shining  bright  during  the  deacon- 
ship  of  her  husband — to  whose  benevolent  societies  she  steadily 


TJie  Despised  Fornarina.  2$ 

contributed.  But  with  these  matter-of-fact  qualities  and  habits, 
she  kept  hidden  out  of  sight  and  ken  a  vein  of  superstition,  which 
was  so  absolutely  interwoven  among  her  beliefs  as  to  become 
an  essential  element  of  her  character,  and  which  insensibly  influ 
enced  not  only  her  secret  thoughts,  but  her  words  and  plans  of 
action.  She  believed  in  a  family  omen.  There  was  a  white 
horse  which  was  sure  to  appear  in  dreams  to  her  kindred  at 
particular  crises  of  their  lives,  and  his  coming  had  been  per 
sistently  fatal  to  the  individuals  so  warned,  always  presaging 
and  preceding  disaster  or  death. 

Twice  within  a  year  she  had  seen  the  baleful  steed.  The 
first  time  she  rode  him,  fording  a  clear  stream  of  running 
water ;  she  saw  his  milk-white  mane  lying  in  silky  profusion 
on  his  neck,  which  shone  like  silver  in  the  cold  moonlight,  and 
his  flashing  eye,  as  he  turned  to  look  in  her  face,  had  such  a 
glare  of  supernatural  intelligence  and  power,  that  she  shivered 
into  frighted  wakefulness,  to  find  great  drops  of  sweat  on  her 
brow  and  her  palsied  tongue  cleaving  to  the  roof  of  her  mouth. 

The  next  time  she  saw  him  coming  from  afar,  free  and  wild, 
over  her  native  hills,  and  on  his  back  a  lovely  child,  which  he 
cast  at  her  feet  bloody  and  mangled  with  its  fall,  just  inside  the 
great  gate  of  the  old  homestead. 

The  evil  visions  were  often  in  her  mind,  and  she  scarcely 
ever  laid  her  head  on  her  pillow  that  she  did  not  say  to  herself: 
"  Perhaps  to-night  he  may  come  for  the  third  and  last  time, 
and  then  I  shall  be  assured  that  I  am  called  to  go  speedily 
away,  so  that  the  places  which  now  know  me  shall  know  me 
no  more  forever." 

Without  ever  giving  her  convictions  voice,  which  would  ena 
ble  her  friends  to  combat  them,  they  were  positive  and  settled, 
and  she  felt  an  overweening  desire  to  set  her  house  in  order, 
being  warned  that  she  should  die  and  not  live  ;  and  who  so 
likely  to  maintain  that  order  after  her  demise,  as  a  prudent, 
sensible  wife  for  her  son  ? 

If  she  had  explained  her  hidden  motive  to  him,  he  would 


26  The  Despised  Fornarina. 

have  ridiculed  it,  or  tried  to  convince  her  of  the  absurd  impossi 
bility  of  any  sequence  following  an  airy,  baseless  dream,  pro 
duced  by  an  extra  piece  of  apple  pie,  or  a  bit  of  cheese,  which 
would  be  more  injurious  to  her  than  the  fit  of  nightmare  it 
provoked. 

As  she  had  gonexm  begging,  pleading,  and  insisting ;  putting 
forth  no  reasons  except  such  as  belonged  to  life  and  its  needs, 
he  gave  her  credit  for  immense  will  and  the  wonderful  stay 
which  held  fast  to  her  purpose  with  untiring  perseverance,  and 
would  have  been  startled  and  astonished  to  find  a  fetish  among 
his  respected  mother's  Christian  beliefs. 

However,  having  obtained  the  rather  doubtful  promise  above 
stated,  she  donned  her  gray  silk  and  nice  fine  hat  of  platted 
straw,  trimmed  with  a  bunch  of  natural  ostrich  feathers,  and  the 
costly  Indian  shawl  her  son  had  fetched  from  the  east  the  same 
time  he  brought  her  the  crape  from  Canton,  and  the  box  of  won 
derful  tea,  whose  delicious  flavor  and  inspiriting  effects  she  only 
permitted  herself  to  enjoy  on  very  rare  occasions. 

Ueing  fitly  attired,  she  came  down  looking  as  she  always  did, 
the  very  perfection  of  nice,  neat  old-ladyhood,  which  has  done 
with  gauds  and  fripperies,  and  does  not  change  its  costume  to 
suit  any  breath  of  fickle  Fashion  ;  which  no  more  desires  to  dodge 
its  status,  accepting  with  dignity  the  sober  tints  and  ripeness 
which  hallow  and  embellish  autumn.  And  really  and  truly,  my 
dear  readers,  is  there  a  more  pitiable  sight  than  an  old  woman 
absurdly  young,  or  one  more  agreeably  comely  and  pleasant 
than  a  matron  who  majestically  wears  her  years  and  her  gray 
hairs  with  undismayed  satisfaction,  enjoying  the  harvest  time  of 
her  life  in  a  rich  ingathering  of  the  fruits  of  her  early  toils  and 
cares  ?  "So  say  we  all  of  us." 

Sam  was  proud  of  his  mother.  He  was  proud  of  her  smart 
ness,  her  executive  ability  and  business  faculty ;  and  he 
walked  by  her  side  down  the  path  to  the  gate,  and  opened  it 
for  her  exit,  with  a  compliment  on  her  new  fall  bonnet,  and  a 
gratified  survey  of  her  attire. 


The  Despised  Fornarina.  27 

"  How  well  you  look,"  said  he,  smiling.  "  Really,  mother,  I 
do  not  discover  any  signs  of  the  feebleness  you  would  fain  make 
me  believe  in." 

"  You  can't  see  into  the  future,  Sammy  ?  Well  to-day  may 
be  dead  to-morrow  !  I  mean  to  live  as  long  as  I  can,  and  that 
I  may  get  as  much  comfort  as  possible  out  of  my  last  days,  you 
should  wish  me  success  in  my  errand." 

"  What  is  it  this  time,  mother — a  Dorcas  or  a  donation  ?  " 
asked  Mr.  Slaughton,  into  whose  mind  a  certain  suspicion 
began  to  creep  as  he  observed  the  brisk  crispness  of  the  old 
lady's  manner. 

"  Me  no  Jackey  now  ;  me  Kalingalunga,"  said  the  savage, 
when  he  donned  his  chieftain's  war-paint  and  feathers. 
Jackey's  assumption  was  faint  meekness  compared  with  Dame 
Slaughton' s  resolute  determination. 

"  I  shall  let  you  know  all  in  good  time,  Sammy,"  replied  she, 
shutting  her  eyes  tight  and  nodding,  as  he  closed  after  her  the 
gate.  "All  in  good  time,  my  son." 

He  watched  her  stepping  quickly  away,  as  if  on  an  errand 
which  was  full  of  interest  and  importance. 

"  Mother  means  business,"  thought  he  ;  "  it  can't  be  possible 
she  is  out  on  a  wife-hunt  already.  Thank  heaven  !  the  damsels 
are  few  and  far  between  among  these  old  houses.  I  don't 
know  any  eligible  ones.  Let  me  see.  There's  Almira  Pratt, 
she  squints  ;  Jane  Batt,  she  limps ;  Mary  McNulters,  she  hor 
ribly  stutters ;  or  Jemima  Wade,  the  fearful  old  maid  ;  all  the 
others  are  little  things.  It  isn't  Dickey  Pritchard  she's  after 
this  morning,  because  she's  out  on  foot ;  nor  Martha  Rame. 
stone — she's  just  my  age  and  we  never  could  agree  ;  no,  moth 
er's  got  some  missionary  business  on  hand.  I'm  safe  enough, 
I'm  sure  ;  because,  when  she  comes  really  to  look  at  any  woman 
as  mistress  here,  she  will  shrink  from  the  preposterous  notion, 
especially  as  I  have  given  her  carte  blanche.  Yes,  I  expect 
that  master-stroke  of  policy  which  squelched  all  opposition  and 
argument,  will  finish  the  matter.  It  is  my  opinion  that  women 


23  The  Despised  Fornarina. 

like  to  have  a  grievance  to  harp  on  and  knock  around  a  man's 
.  and  when  you  cease  to  <  !>y,  down  drops  the  griev 

ance,  you  see,  dead  as  a  mummy.  An  odd  idea  of  her's  ;  how 
it  could  have  got  lodged  in  her  head  just  at  this  particular  epoch, 
I  can't  imagine.  A  wife  !  Well,  time  was  when  1  might  have 
lent  both  my  ears  to  the  suggestion;  but  that  time  is  drowned 
in  oblivion. 

While  ruminating  in  this  wise,  Mr.  Slaughton  had  mounted  to 
his  studio.  Sauntering  slowly  (he  was  not  much  given  to  hurry), 
his  hands  jingled  some  loose  coins  in  his  pockets,  his  head  was 
bent,  his  face  overcast,  and  his  eyebrows  gathered  together  in 
a  frown,  which  was  so  habitual  as  to  have  stamped  itself  in  a 
light  perpendicular  line  upon  his  forehead,  ineffaceable  even  in 
his  best  humor. 

An  easy-chair  occupying  its  own  place,  as  was  proved  by  the 
worn  spot  in  the  carpet  in  front  of  it,  was  so  convenient  to  his 
entrance,  that  he  dropped  into  it  almost  unconsciously,  raising, 
as  he  did  so,  his  eyes  to  a  picture  on  the  wall  opposite  to  him. 
His  action  and  look  were  as  much  a  habit  as  the  homage  a  pious 
Catholic  offers  at  the  shrine  of  his  patron  saint. 

It  was  an  auburn-haired  Ruth,  not  oriental,  not  Hebrew,  ex 
cept  in  costume  ;  a  beautiful,  majestic  creature  of  noble  traits 
and  serene  individuality  ;  a  face  full  of  fidelities ;  sweet  and 
strong  ;  such  a  woman  as  might  choose  to  turn  her  back  on  ease 
and  home,  and  elect  to  follow  the  fortunes  and  attend  the  old 
age  of  a  childless  widow  who  needed  her  loving  care,  and  find 
daily  joy  and  satisfaction  in  the  hardships  and  sacrifice  included 
in  her  exile  and  devotion. 

Mr.  Samuel  Slaughton  painted  the  picture  many  years  ago  at 
Craigenfels,  when  the  house  was  full  of  Christmas  gayeties,  which 
he  helped  and  enjoyed,  till  a  certain  day,  when  he  was  no 
longer  able  to  find  any  gayety  in  the  world. 

Every  one  of  the  sittings  was  fresh  in  his  memory.  Every 
tone  of  voice,  every  eye-beam  the  Ruth  had  given  him,  every 
"golden-netted  smile"  was  his  then,  now,  always. 


The  Despised  Fornarina.       .  29 

Beneath  the  large  picture,  in  a  much  tarnished  Venetian 
frame,  was  a  smaller  one  of  a  girl  bearing  a  pitcher  in  her 
hands.  The  wonderful  face  of  the  baker,  the  Fornarina,  who 
enthralled  the  young  painter  Raphael,  had  been  ejected  from 
it  to  make-  place  for  the  golden-haired  American,  because 
she  seemed  to  Sam  worthier  of  worship  than  the  Madonna 
could  have  been  at  her  best ;  and  yet  Raphael  had  poured  his 
whole  soul  into  the  one  love  of  his  life.  "  The  eyes  of  the 
Fornarina,"  said  he,  "  are  my  eyes  ;  without  them  I  see  nothing 
but  horrible  darkness." 

In  miniature  the  face  was  a  reproduction  of  the  Ruth.  There 
were  the  carnelian-hued  eyes  concealing  subdued  fire  beneath 
their  half-shadowed  brilliance,  the  luxuriant  tresses  of  dead 
gold,  the  purple  robe,  and  even  the  rich  velvet  violets  caress 
ing  the  lovely  neck. 

He  remembered  well  the  discussion  he  had ;  with  his  beautiful 
sitter  over  the  incongruous  flowers  he  would  persist  in  placing 
on  the  breast  of  his  Ruth,  and  how  she  said  mockingly,  "  A 
wild  cockle  is  as  purple.  We  know  it  flourished  among  the 
grain  your  Moabitess  gleaned. 

"  Look  how  the  cockle  red, 
Alone  on  its  wistful  bed, 
Turns  up  its  dark-blue  eye  to  thee.' 

Boaz  gathered  it  with  his  sheaves,  its  perfume  clung  about  him 
when  his  day's  work  was  done.  Ruth  was  a  wild  cockle  her 
self."  And  how  she  had  paused  suddenly  when  she  had  caught 
the  glance  he  could  not  help  giving  her,  and  how  the  beauteous 
blush  had  stolen  over  her  face,  mantling  it  with  rose-bloom ;  and 
he  felt  sure  she  had  half  divined  the  secret  of  his  persistence, 
and  why  the  violets  lay  in  almost  odorous  perfection  on  the 
exile's  neck.  Because  Sabrina  would  not  be  Sabrina  without 
the  flowers  of  her  daily  choice,  and  oriental  consistency  was  of 
minor  importance  to  him,  who  saw  only  the  woman  he  loved  on 
his  canvas,  as  he  saw  her  breathing  and  glowing  before  him, 


30  The  Despised  Fornarina. 

who  wished  to  see  only  her  among  all  the  women  of  the  whole 
world. 

Mr.  Slaughton  meditated  while  the  fire  of  love  still  burned 
on  the  altar  of  his  soul.  It  had  never  gone  out  all  these  years, 
during  which  he  had  not  tired  of  secretly  feeding  and  fanning 
the  flame.  „  Secretly,  I  say,  because  in  those  days,  before  t lie- 
last  touches  had  been  put  to  the  Ruth,  he  had  gotten  by  In-art 
a  couplet  which  he  chanted  in  desolate  loneliness  while  he  com 
pleted  the  work  he  had  so  hopefully  commenced : 

"  What  care  I  how  fair  she  be, 
If  she  be  not  fair  for  me  ?  " 

He  had  asked  the  question  on  which  his  happiness  depended 
at  a  fete  one  pleasant  evening,  when  he  had  found  and  worn 
the  scarf  to  her  apron,  one  famous  neck-tie  party.  He  asked 
it  in  so  light  a  tone  that  she  scarcely  guessed  the  deep  darkness 
which  obscured  his  life  when  he  got  his  answer.  He  had  left 
her  with  a  smile  on  his  lips,  but  such  a  dull  pain  in  his 
heart  as  nothing  had  ever  healed ;  and  all  through  the  follow 
ing  years,  in  his  wanderings  up  and  down  the  wide  world,  not 
a  single  daughter  of  Eve,  no  matter  how  beautiful  or  excellent, 
had  ever  won  from  him  a  look  of  admiration  or  a  thought  of 
fondness.  Thirty  of  his  years  were  gone  now,  and  the  old 
refrain  had  changed  a  little  in  his  rendering  : 

"  What  care  I  how  fair  they  be, 
Not  one  of  them  shall  be  fair  for  me." 


"She  Hat /i  Many  Nameless  Virtues"  31 

CHAPTER  III. 

"  SHE    HATH    MANY   NAMELESS   VIRTUES." 


EANWHILE  no  grass  had  grown  be 
neath  Mrs.  SJaughton's  feet,  and.  before 
her  son  had  half  dreamed  out  his  vain 
dream  of  what  might  have  been,  she 
came  back,  and  after  glancing  through 
the  lower  looms  she  pattered  hurriedly 
up  the  stairs  and  entered  the  studio. 

Sitting  down  close  by  the  artist,  she 
laid  her  hand  on  his  knee  and  looked  in  his  face  with  an 
expression  curiously  mingled  of  apprehension,  determination, 
uncertainty,  and  flurry. 

"  Well,  Sammy,"  she  began,  "  I've  set  about  it,  and  it  goes 
nicely  so  far.  I've  got  her  picked  out ;  in  fact,  I've  had  my  eye 
on  her  for  a  good  while,  and  I  have  talked  over  the  probabili 
ties  and  fitness  with  her  mother,  who  always  agreed  with  me  ; 
but  of  course  couldn't  say  too  much — it  wouldn't  do,  you  know. 
No  woman  likes  to  seem  over-anxious  to  get  rid  of  her  daugh 
ters,  however  much  she  may  wish  to  see  them  settled.  And  this 
is  a  changing  world,  and  girls  are  such  forlorn  things  to  be  left 
unprotected  and  knocked  about  at  everybody's  beck  and  call ; 
and  her  health  is  so  poor,  and  there's  such  a  family,  and  I  don't 
suppose  there  will  be  any  provision  for  them,  that  you  can't 
wonder  she  was  pleased,  as  indeed  why  shouldn't  she  be  ?  Such 
luck  don't  come  to  every  girl,  and  I  consider  it  as  good  as  set 
tled  ;  and  very  glad  I  am,  to  be  sure,  and  the  sooner  we  get  it 
over  the  better  it  will  be  for  all  of  us.  I  declare,  I've  walked 
like  a  steamboat.  1  feel  very  tired,  the  east  wind  is  so  strong  in 
September  on  these  hills,  and  I  didn't  stop  to  breathe  hardly. 
I'm  all  tuckered  out,  and  so  warm." 


32  "  She  Hath  Many  Nameless  Virtues." 

'•  U'ell,  Samuel,  haven't  you  anything  to  say  to  my  news  ?  " 
she  asked,  after  a  minute's  silence.  "  And  me  fit  to  drop." 

"Not  much,  mother,"  he  answered  a  little  bitterly.  It  was 
a  rough  waking  from  the  joyous  vision  which  had  visited  him, 
a  swift  and  unwelcome  dissipation  of  his  memories. 

He  wheeled  about  in  his  arm-chair  so  as  to  shut  from  his 
sight  the  two  pictures,  and  his  face  wore  not  the  faintest  shadow 
of  the  smile  the  old  lady  wanted  to  see  there,  as  he  went  on  : 

"  You  post  expeditiously  to  your  consummation.  You  are 
taking  much  trouble,  if  you  are  in  earnest,  which  seems  hard 
yet  to  believe.  You  are  piling  up  great  stores  of  worry  for 
your  future,  if  you  are  able  to  succeed,  which  I  regard  as  impos 
sible.  I've  done  some  tall  thinking,  mother,  since  you  went 
out,  and  I  cannot  understand  your  object  or  motive." 

"  I'm  sure  I  made  it  plain  enough,  Samuel."  Mrs  Slaugh- 
ton  pulled  out  the  gold  pin  which  held  her  India  shawl,  and 
threw  it  back,  and  fanned  herself  with  her  handkerchief;  she 
did  look  terribly  Hushed.  "  I  can  go  over  the  whole  ground 
again,  1  suppose " 

"No,  no,  mother,  don't.  I/shall  get  no  fresh  light,  I  dare 
say.  So  the  mother-in-law  to  be  thinks  well  of  the  match, 
does  she  ?  But  does  the  daughter-in-law  think  well  of  it  also  ?  " 

His  manner,  half  incredulous,  half  mocking,  irritated  the 
widow,  who  was  in  a  very  nervous,  excitable  state,  as  it  seemed 
from  her  fidgeting  and  panting,  and  her  crimson  face,  usually 
so  composed  and  pale ;  and  she  failed  to  see  that  her  son  was 
really  making  an  effort  to  be  indulgent  and  forbearing,  though 
something  as  if  he  treated  a  weaker  vessel  whom  he  more  than 
suspected  of  having  a  bee  in  her  bonnet. 

"  Of  course,"  she  answered  tartly,  "  why  shouldn't  she  ?  That 
is,  I  have  not  seen  her.  I  left  that  part  of  the  negotiation  to  the 
proper  time  and  the  fit  parties  ;  I  have  not  a  particle  of 
uneasiness  on  that  score.  It  would  be  very  odd  indeed  if  she 
was  not  only  willing,  but  thankful  and  anxious  to  marry  my 
son.  I  should  say,  very  ! " 


"  She  Hath  Many  Nameless  Virtues."  33 

"  The  best  and  noblest  woman  God  ever  made  thought  other 
wise.  She  saw  no  good  parts  in  the  miserable  fellow  ;  she 
would  none  of  him,"  remarked  he,  with  such  a  smile  on  the 
points  of  his  lips  as  looked  as  if  he  was  not  very  proud  of  him 
self.  He  kept  his  gaze  steadily  aloof  from  the  two  pictures  on 
the  wall  while  he  spoke  thus  lightly,  but  he  saw  the  royal  girl 
hood  which  had  not  been  fair  for  him,  as  if  he  were  living  at 
that  precise  moment  the  second  of  time  in  which  she  had 
said: 

"  Never  !  dear  friend.  I  am  ashamed  that  you  have  asked 
me,  because  I  ought  so  to  have  behaved  that  you  must  have 
seen  that  I  did  not  love  you,"  and  the  music  of  the  waltz  he 
had  danced  with  her  afterwards  seemed  anew  to  knock  at  his 
heart  with  its  steady  time-beats,  in  the  dull  refrain  tiresomely 
repeated : 

"  She  never  can  be  fair  for  me." 

"  I  should  have  to  see  that  woman,  Samuel,  before  I  believed 
such  a  ridiculous  statement.  Your  white  swan  would  prove  a 
silly  goose,  after  all.  I  used  to  feel  troubled  to  hear  you  say 
such  things.  I  didn't  know  one  while  but  you  had  fallen  in 
love  with  some  actress ;  but  I  comforted  myself  that  my  boy 
was  the  child  of  many  prayers,  and  would  be  kept  out  of  such 
temptations,  and  I  thought  six  or  seven  years  ago  that  you  had 
a  sort  of  a  sneaking  notion  after  Martha  Ranestone  ;  you  were 
always  sparring  so,  whenever  you  happened  to  meet.  At  any 
rate,  I  am  certain  now  that  the  wonderful  creature  you  rave 
over  sometimes  is  just  a  myth,  as  much  as  that  handsome 
Arabella  was  in  the  "  Prue  and  I "  book  you  read  out  loud 
to  me  the  other  evening ;  and  if  he  had  kept  his  sweet  looks  for 
the  poor  Prudence  who  mended  his  old  duds,  I  should  have 
thought  better  of  him,  for  my  part.  Nobody  ever  marries 
their  ideals,  Samuel.  When  I  was  sixteen  I  meant  to  be 
united  to  a  tall,  slender,  beautiful  man,  who  would  adore  me, 
and  I  took  your  father,  who  was  rather  fat,  not  to  say  clumsy, 


34  "  She  Hath  Many  Nameless  Virtues'' 

and  did  not  adore  me ;  on  the  contrary,  he  was  particular  about 
his  meals,  and  apt  to  find  fault  with  the  neck-bands  of  his 
shirts.  He  said  I  always  got  them  too  long,  or  too  short,  or 
too  wide,  or  too  narrow  ;  and  he  used  to  swear  dreadfully  if 
he  happened  to  miss  a  button  anywhere  on  his  clothes,  before 
lie  joined  the  church.  Of  course  he  enjoyed  his  mind  after  that, 
and  left  off  all  his  bad  habits.  I  believe  it  is  a  certain  truth, 
my  dear  son,  that  if  a  man  makes  up  his  bent  never  to  love 
any  but  a  slight,  ethereal  fairy,  he  is  sure  to  get  tied  to  a 
chubby  dumpling,  all  fat  and  dimples  ;  so  you  may  as  well 
settle  to  the  certainty  that  your  wife  will  be  the  exact  opposite 
of  what  you  thought  you  wanted,  and  she  will  suit  you  to  a 
charm.  I  flatter  myself  I  am  a  tol'able  judge  of  my  sex,  and 
J  assure  you  I  am  more  than  pleased.  Such  a  quiet,  sensible, 
reasonable  child  as  she  has  always  been.  Her  mother  tells  me 
she  recited  seventy-five  verses  in  Genesis  before  she  was  four 
years  old,  and  has  read  a  chapter  in  the  Bible  she  got  from 
her  Sunday-school  teacher  as  a  reward  of  merit,  every  day 
since." 

While  the  dame  rambled  on  with  her  diffusive  remarks,  Mr. 
Slaughton  turned  over  in  his  thoughts  the  probabilities  as  to 
the  performer  of  this  pious  feat.  Is  it  Almina  Pratt,  or  Jane 
Jlatt,  or  Mary  McNulters,  or  Jemima  Wade  ? 

The  widow,  not  observing  his  disgusted  face,  continued  : 

"  Yes,  Sammy,  and  we've  settled  on  the  day  for  the  wedding 
t— private.  Only  the  two  families,  and  a  few  neighbors  ;  and  I 
think  I  shall  have  the  Vance  children  home  right  away  that  it 
is  over." 

" Humph,"  muttered  Sam.  "She  speaks  of  my  nuptials  as 
if  she  arranged  for  an  amputation,  or  a  hanging,  or  a  funeral ; 
upon  my  word,  this  is  cheerful,  and  the  Vances  are  wanted  to 
devour  the  remains  of  the  marriage-feast.  They  will  make 
them  dreadfully  ill — that's  some  comfort." 

"  I  don't  suppose  you  will  care  about  any  trip.  You  have 
been  running  up  and  down  in  the  earth,  and  to  and  fro  in  it, 


"  She  Hath  Many  Nameless  Virtues"  35 

like  Job's  three  comforters.    No,  I  believe  it  was  not  the  friends, 
it  was " 

"  The  devil !  "  ejaculated  Sam  with  some  emphasis. 

"Hush,  my  son!  don't  explain  in  such  a  loud  voice,  it 
sounds  too  much  like  swearing,  and  I  know  you  never  do 
swear.  And  as  I  was  saying,  a  quiet,  regular  life  will  be  good 
for  you,  and  I  could  not  stand  the  hubbub  of  those  Vance 
children  myself;  so  I  made  up  my  mind  to  wait  till  I  could 
get  settled  with  a  likely  girl  to  take  them  off  my  hands  and 
keep  them  in  order ;  and  she's  used  to  children,  and  I  shall 
feel  easy." 

"  And  you  really  mean  to  bring  a  luckless  female  into  such 
an  abominable  position  ?  Put  her  among  a  lot  of  noisy,  royster- 
ing  brats  in  whom  she  has  no  interest.  But  it  seems  to  me  you 
are  projecting  a  torture  daily  renewed  for  the  daughter  you 
have  elected.  Of  a  truth,  I  could  find  it  in  my  heart  to  feel  sorry 
for  her." 

"  Sorry,  Sammy  !  You  needn't,  then.  It  is  a  piece  of  luck 
they  never  looked  for,  nor  expected,  to  marry  one  of  their 
folks  to  a  Slaughton.  They  must  all  feel  it  so.  I  am  sure 
they  do." 

"  She  wants  me  to  take  a  wife  beneath  me,  it  seems,  in 
order  that  she  may  get  a  housekeeper,"  thought  Sam,  and  he 
scowled  as  the  idea  suggested  itself.  "  It  must  be  the  Batts ; 
their  name  is  legion,  and  they  never,  did  amount  to  a  general 
issue."  "You  have  not  laid  aside  your  family  pride,  I  hope, 
mother." 

""  Oh,  no.     I  think  a  good  deal  of  blood — blood  will  tell." 

"  To  have  a  young  woman  about  you  who  squints,  or  limps, 
or  stutters,  would  be  far  from  pleasant,  would  it  not  ?  " 

'•  Now  Samuel,  if  you  mean  to  put  me  off  and  dodge  the 
question  wilh  any  of  your  nonsense,  I  can  tell  you  it  is  entirely 
too  late.  I've  set  the  ball  rolling,  and  you  need  not  try  to 
stop  it,  because,  if  you  get  obstinate,  I  shall  be  firm." 

"  Go  on,  mother,"  answered  Samuel  dryly. 


36  "  She  Hath  Many  Nameless  Virtues" 

"  I  am  going  on,  Samuel,  and  you'll  have  a  wife  in  spite  of 
your  teeth." 

Sain  groaned  in  the  spirit.     "  Oh,  cursed  sprite  !  that  e\vr  I 

<  >rn,"  muttered  he.     "  Yes,  mother,  that  was  what  a  fellow 

said,   named    Hamlet.     It   was   his   mother   who  got  married, 

though.     I  wonder  you  never  took  a  second  ;  wouldn't  it  Miit 

you  just  as  well  now  as  to  get  me  doubled  ?  " 

"  For  shame,  Samuel  !  to  jest  on  such  a  serious  subject ! " 
exclaimed  the  widow,  bridling  up.  "  Not  but  that  I  could 
have  got  married  a  dozen  times,  but  I  wouldn't — once  is  quite 
enough." 

"  Yes,  mother,"  rejoined  Sam,  shaking  his  head  in  mock 
despair,  "  and  too  much,  I  think.  Look  here  now  :  what  if  this 
lady  should  develop  a  temper.  I'm  told  the  best  of  women 
are  liable  to  it.  Hadn't  you  better  stop  and  think  while  on 
the  brink.  I  am  afraid  you  are  preparing  for  a  leap  into  a 
bramble-bush  that  will  scratch  out  both  your  eyes." 

"  Nothing  of  the  kind,  my  son.  Do,  pray,  give  me  credit  for 
some  shrewdness,  some  insight  into  human  nature.  I  am  not 
buying  a  pig  in  a  poke ;  far  from  it,  I  know  just  what  I  am 
about.  Why,  I  tell  you  her  mother  assures  me  that  the  girl 
never  did  a  disobedient  thing  in  her  life  without  being  well 
whipped  for  it ;  her  will  was  broken  before  she  could  speak 
plain.  Quite  a  terrible  scene,  and  cost  her  mother  a  good 
many  tears.  She  refused  to  say  '  Pa,'  and  it  took  a  whole 
afternoon  to  bring  her  to  it,  but  she  was  conquered  then  and 
there.  Her  father  is  a  perfect  disciplinarian  ;  his  children  obey 
the  nod  of  his  head." 

"  A  nice,  tyrannical  old  party  you  are  for  making  me  son  to. 
I  should  like  to  inquire,  just  from  curiosity,  when  you  get  to  a 
good  place  to  rest  a  little,  who  these  people  are  ?  these  last 
delicious  revelations  are  so  inspiring.  I  begin  to  feel  symp 
toms  of  extreme  interest.  A  bride  who  has  been  well  whipped  ; 
.how  much  more  desirable  than  one  who  has  been  badly 
whipped — who,  mother,  tell  me  who  ?  " 


"  She  Hath  Many  Nameless  Virtues."  37 

"  I  have  been  waiting  for  you  to  ask  that  question,  Samuel. 
I  was  determined  not  to  mention  any  names  till  you  did.  But 
I  do  wish  you  would  not  talk  in  that  voice — I  don't  like  it ; 
nor  the  quizzical,  disagreeable  smile  on  your  mouth.  Even 
your  must  Aches  can't  hide  the  disgustedness  of  it ;  and  it  is  far 
from  becoming.  It  reminds  me  of  the  way  your  father's  upper 
lip  used  to  go  up  in  the  middle  and  down  at  the  corners  when 
you  upset  all  your  victuals  onto  the  table-cloth,  and  the  bread 
and  milk  sploshed  his  clean  shirt-bosom  ;  children  are  so  care 
less  !  There  !  That's  right ;  now  you  look  like  my  own  good 
boy,  who  means  to  make  his  mother  happy  for  the  little  while 
she  has  got  to  be  with  him  in  this  poor,  perishing  world.  It  is 
not  as  if  I  wanted  you  to  give  away  a  treasure,  or  afflict  your 
self.  It  is  a  nice  girl,  Samuel — a  wife,  that  I'm  talking  about ; 
every  man  ought  to  want  a  wife,  and  look  chirp  and  pleasant 
over  the  prospect  of  getting  one :  and  I  know  Perdita 
Hethvvaite  will  make  this  house  tidy,  and  do  her  best — 
her  mother  says  she  will.  Only  promise  that  you  will  take  her, 
and  I  shall  feel  that  I  have  done  a  good  day's  work,  and  feel 
easy  in  my  mind." 

"  Perdita  Hethwaite !  The  old  parson's  lean,  scraggy 
daughter  !  A  half-starved,  pinched  little  object,  hardly  out  of 
short  frocks  !  Well,  this  is  a  choice.  This  is  a  day's  work." 

Mr.  Slaughton  threw  up  his  chin  and  laughed,  and  he  looked 
in  such  a  provoking  way  at  the  dame  out  of  his  half-shut  eyes, 
that  she  almost  wished  he  was  again  small  enough  to  be  well 
spanked  for  his  impudence.  Her  little  boy  being  lost,  and  her 
six-footer  being  beside  her,  words,  not  deeds,  must  serve  her 
purpose — words  which  must  be  carefully  picked  and  chosen, 
too. 

"  Perdita  is  not  scrawny,  Samuel ;  she  is  nice-looking.  You 
must  allow  that  it  is  agood  long  time  since  you  sa.w  her.  While 
you  have  been  hazing  round  the  globe  she's  been  growing  ; 
she's  plenty  big  enough  and  fat  enough.  We  don't  want  a  doll 
to  lock  up  in  a  glass  case  ;  we  want  usefulness.  "  Handsome  is 


38  "  She  Hath  Many  Xamdcss  Virtues:' 

that  handsome  does."     She  understands  housekeeping,  Pcrdita 
Her    mother  says  she's  made   all   the   pics   and   cake 
they've  eat  for  more  than  a  year." 

••  Which  isn't  much,  if  Slowgo  speaks  the  truth.  I  heard 
him  telling  Stephen,  only  a  day  or  two  ago,  that  when  they 
pulled  down  the  old  shed,  they  found  a  pile  of  codfish-bones 
three  feet  high,  which  looked  like  a  battle-field  in  Liliput." 

"  Don't  men  enjoy  a  bit  of  gossip,  and  roll  it  as  a  sweet 
morsel  under  their  tongues,"  retorted  the  old  lady.  "  Plain 
living  is  no  disgrace  to  any  family,  and  it's  better  to  eat  gruel 
than  get  in  debt.  Perdita  runs  the  machine  beautifully ;  she 
does  most  all  the  family  sewing.  She's  just  the  one  to  pull  on 
poor  Sallie's  children,  and  she's  able  to  teach  them  besides  ;  she 
has  three  hours'  school  at  home  every  day." 

"  And  do  you  mean  to  tell  me,  mother,  that  this  well-chas 
tened  paragon  can  be  brought  here  unmoved?  Is  she  willing 
to  acquire  such  a  commodity  as  a  husband,  without  being 
allowed  a  choice — without  a  civil  word  from  him  ?  Is  she  so 
eager  to  provide  for  herself,  that  she  will  waive  all  her  rights  ? 
— make  no  objections  ?  Mother,  I  cannot  believe  it !  " 

;t,  Samuel,  let  me  explain.  Parson  Hethwaite  is  a  very 
peculiar  man.  He  has  never  allowed  his  children  to  have  any 
minds  of  their  own,  or  his  wife  either,  for  that  matter.  I 
undertook  to  broach  this  subject  to  him ;  she  could  not  get 
courage  to  do  it.  I  must  allow  she  is  afraid  to  say  her  soul  is 
her  own.  I  don't  see  how  she  can  be;  for  rny  part,  I  found 
him  quite  agreeable,  quite  much  pleased,  in  fact.  His  wife  likes 
it,  and  the  girl  is  so  well  trained  that  she  will  do  precisely  as 
she  is  bid.  SMll  do  it  in  this  house  too  !  Besides,  her  mother 
assures  me  that  she  looks  forward  to  a  very  pleasant  time  with 
us  ;  she  had  her  into  the  bed-room  while  1  was  there,  and  said 
a  few  words  to  her,  and  she  came  back  and  told  me  (her 
mother  did)  that  everything  was  satisfactory.  She  has  never 
had  any  lovers  or  flatterers  ;  she  does  not  expect  anything  of  the 
kind.  Now,  Sammy,"  continued  the  widow,  not  liking  the 


"  She  Hath  Many  Nameless  Virtues."  39 

look  in  her  son's  eyes,  which  began  to  grow  dark  and  angry — 
"  now,  Sammy,  you  told  me  to  pick  her  out  and  you'd  take 
her.  I  have  picked  her  out,  the  best  I  could,  and  it  was  not  an 
easy  job  either,  under  the  circumstances ;  and  I  am  sure  you 
didn't  get  much  bothered  over  it." 

"  Bothered  ! — no ;  you  have  managed  thus  far  to  suit 
yourself,  but  I  am  afraid  you  will  not  be  able  to  proceed  much 
farther  without  meeting  a  barrier.  You  know  the  old  proverb  : 
"  You  may  lead  a  horse  to  water,  but  you  cannot  make  him 
drink." 

"  There  you  go  again,  Samuel ! — when  you  promised  only 
this  morning."  Widow  Slaughton  raised  her  voice  to  a  plaintive 
pitch,  and  began  to  pull  fretfully  at  her  shawl-fringe.  "  Yes, 
only  this  very  morning,  and  I  do  hope  you  don't  mean  to  back 
out  now,  and  make  me  ridiculous." 

"There!  there,  mother,  we  won't  pursue  that  branch  of 
the  subject.  You  need  not  fear ;  I  won't  fail  you.  Some  men 
get  fine  turnouts  to  please  their  women  folk ;  some  invest  in 
dry-goods  ;  some  buy  jewels.  I  am  about  to  acquire  a  trifle 
called  a  wife.  A  mad  scheme  it  is  ;  and  I  shall  be  as  mad  as 
a  March  hare  to  content  you.  That  is,  you  understand, 
always  supposing  you  are  able  to  carry  out  the  conditions." 

"  That  is  the  way  to  talk,  Sammy.  I  mentioned  to  them  I 
would  be  down  to  the  parsonage  this  evening,  and  of  course  you 
will  speak  pleasantly  to  them  all,  Perdita  especially.  She  isn't 
much  of  a  talker — never  was,  her  mother  says ;  but  she  is  an 
efficient,  capable,  stirring,  industrious  girl,  and  that,  you  must 
allow,  is  what  we  want  in  this  house,  the  most  of  anything." 

"  Don't  you  think  it  will  be  a  good  plan  to  have  the  interview 
conducted  on  the  Chinese  plan  ?  You  might  place  the  bride- 
elect  behind  a  screen,  and  let  me  walk  up  and  down  before  it, 
where  she  could  peep  at  me,  and  let  her  clap  her  hands  three 
times  if  she  finds  me  to  her  taste." 

"  Oh,  you  can  have  all  the  fun  you  want,  Samuel,  provided 
you  act  your  part  like  a  good  boy.  Now  I  must  go  down  and 


4O  Two  Horns  of  a  Dilemma. 

see  about  your  rooms.  I  suppose  you  will  like  to  have  one 
turned  into  a  kind  of  sitting-room  ;  luckily  there's  folding  doors 
between  them.  1  shan't  hardly  have  time  for  that,  either.  I 
guess  I'll  wait  till  she  comes,  and  let  her  fix  them  herself.  There 
will  be  some  lifting  and  moving,  and  I  don't  feel  hardly  equal 
to  it.  I'll  have  Hannah  make  all  the  cake  and  the  jellies  and 
those  things,  and  I  haven't  much  time  to  lose." 

The  widow  was  half-way  down  the  stairs  before  she  finished 
the  summing-up  of  her  projected  labors,  and  her  voice  came 
back  to  her  son  in  fitful  gusts,  even  after  she  had  reached  the 
kitchen,  where  she  immediately  set  about  giving  orders. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

TWO   HORNS    OF   A    DILEMMA. 


R.  SLAUGHTON  meditated  a  long  while 
on  the  queer  role  he  was  pledged  to  play 
in  a  drama  called  "  Marrying  in  Haste." 
Very  little  time,  it  appeared,  would  be 
allowed  him  to  study  his  part,  and  he 
could  scarcely  expect  to  appear  to  advan 
tage  in  a  debut  with  a  bride  of  whose 
capacities  and  peculiarities  he  was  totally 
ignorant ;  but  as  he  was  undertaking  the  role  neither  for  his 
own  pleasure  or  aggrandizement,  that  was  perhaps  of  minor 
importance,  so  he  acquitted  himself  to  satisfy  the  manap 

The  affair  certainly  had  a  ludicrous  side ;  but  he  did  not  feel 

inclined  to  laugh — far  from  it.     In  fact,  such  a  consummation 

of  his  fate  seemed  a  sorrowful  ending  to  all  Ins  youthful  hopes. 

He  had  no  right  to  be  dreaming  o!  Sabiina  l!r.ul>haw.     She 


Two  Horns  of  a  Dilemma.  41 

was  irrevocably  lost  to  him — separated  by  an  invincible  barrier, 
"  Thou  shalt  not  covet."  Sam  had  no  intention  of  breaking  the 
tenth  commandment.  The  Sabrina  who  came  to  him  in  his 
musings  was  the  superb  maiden  clothed  in  violet,  and  majestic 
in  her  youthful,  pure  loveliness,  whom  he  had  known  ten 
years  ago,  when  he  had  good  hopes  of  winning  her  to  be  his 
wife. 

A  banging  of  doors  and  a  shrieking  among  the  poultry  aroused 
him,  and  dissolved  into  thin  air  the  old-time  fancies  which  had 
been  floating  around  his  easy-chair — impalpable,  voiceless  vis 
itors,  but  always  dear  and  welcome.  Perdita  Hethwaite  to  be 
brought  to  Blithebeck  through  his  means  !  His  mother  wished 
to  use  him  for  a  cat's-paw,  to  help  herself  to  a  young  worker 
and  companion.  Well,  what  of  it  ?  It  is  so  much  easier  to 
float  with  the  current  of  other  people's  wishes  than  to  swim  up 
stream  against  wind  and  tide  of  everlasting  nagging  and  entreaty. 
"  I  dare  say,"  he  thought,  "  if  I  had  married  Sabrina,  she  would 
have  led  me  in  a  string,  .like  a  tame  bear." 

The  summing-up  of  the  position  in  his  mind  seemed  to  be 
that  the  Parson's  daughter  must  be  either  a  poor-spirited  crea 
ture,  to  let  herself  be  traded  off  by  her  elders,  or  a  sharp,  cute 
one,  having  an  eye  to  the  main  chance,  tired  of  the  stingy 
grinding  of  the  poverty  of  the  parsonage,  willing  to  better  her 
condition  on  any  terms.  "And  a  mere  child,  too  !  Why,  she  waw 
not  three  feet  high  when  I  saw  her  last,  a  little,  puny  broomstick 
of  a  thing,  as  thin  and  pale  as  a  workhouse  slave.  A  child  fed 
on  codfish  can't  be  expected  to  be  presuming,  or  positive,  or 
high-colored.  Stringy,  I  suppose,  and  pallid,  '  well  whipped,' 
afraid  of  her  shadow.  A  most  delicious  prospect  for  a  man 
whose  tastes  tend  towards  domestic  joys — '  the  pleasures  of 
home.'  It  won't  make  much  difference  to  me,  because  as  soon 
as  mother  has  completed  her  little  arrangement,  I  shall  leave 
the  country.  I  had  a  sort  of  idea  of  turning  Slowgo  adrift  and 
amusing  myself  with  farming  ;  but  that  notion  is  up  in  a  bal 
loon  now.  '  A  man  who  is  .wived  has  need  to  get  shrived.'  I 


42  Parson  Hethwaite  at  Home. 

don't  feel  ready  to  go  to  Heaven  yet,  so  I'll  post  as  far  from 
the  disagreeables  which  menace  me  as  I  can.  Mother,  mother, 
what  a  manager  you  are  !  " 


CHAPTER  V. 

PARSON    HETHWAITE   AT   HOME. 

"  Samuel  Slaughton,  so  they  say, 
Went  a-courting  one  fine  day, 
Sword  and  pistol  by  his  side, 
And  asked  Miss  Hethwaite  for  his  bride." 

LONG,  low,  dingy  room,  lighted  in  day 
time  by  four  windows  of  seven-by-nine 
panes;  faintly  illumined  this  evening  by 
a  couple  of  tallow  candles  which  stood 
on  a  table  in  the  centre,  around  which 
were  gathered  the  young  Hethwaites, 
doing  their  lessons. 

Teddy,  the  eldest  boy,  a  pale  young 
ster,  with  hollow  cheeks  and  eyes  set  in  a  deep  rim  of  purple, 
leaned  on  his  elbows  and  stopped  his  ears  with  his  forefingers, 
while  his  ga/.e  was  fixed  and  his  faculties  were  centered  in  a  book 
of  travels,  of  which  he  was  appropriating  the  pith  and  marrow. 
His  shoulders  were  level  with  his  chin,  and  his  head  stuck  for 
ward,  for  poor  Teddy  had  the  common  American  defect,  near- 
sightedness.  In  his  case  the  cause  was  a  habitual  use  of  his 
vision  in  insufficient  lights  and  at  improper  times  ;  but  as  can- 
ore  luxuries  hard  to  come  by  at  the  parsonage,  and  his 
hours  for  culture  few  and  mostly  after  the  sun  was  down,  the 
lad  was  rather  to  be  pitied  than  blamed. 


Parson  Hethwaite  at  Home.  43 

Teddy  was  the  laborer  of  the  family — indeed,  he  scarcely 
escaped  being  its  drudge.  What  little  farming  was  done  on  the 
worn-out  land  which  had  been  plowed  and  harrowed  for  gen 
erations  by  the  Hethwaites,  he  accomplished,  and  he  did  it 
always  at  a  disadvantage,  with  old-time  tools,  which  took  much 
strength  out  of  him.  His  hands  were  spread,  brown,  and 
notched  and  seamed  with  scars  and  bruises,  and  on  either  wrist 
he  had  the  unsightly  protuberance  called  by  the  country  folks 
"  a  weeping  sinner,"  the  effect  of  lifting  too  heavy  weights  ;  and 
his  back  was  fast  curving  into  a  stoop,  which  it  is  a  pity  to  see 
in  a  boy  not  yet  out  of  his  teens.  His  clothes  were  homespun, 
home-made,  patched  and  darned.  Teddy's  outside  was  of  little 
account,  and  Teddy's  hair  was  cut  very  short.  Parson  Heth- 
Avaite  was  his  family's  barber,  and  Malcolm  said,  "Father  could 
never  leave  off  snipping  while  there  was  a  hair  on  their  heads 
he  could  catch  hold  of." 

But,  in  spite  of  all  hindrances,  the  pains-taking,  industrious 
lad  had  hoarded  up  much  knowledge,  and  he  was  all  the  while 
digging.  Whenever  he  wished  for  money,  it  was  to  buy  books. 
If  by  great  luck  he  got  a  shilling,  it  went  for  some  eye- destroy 
ing  paper-covered  copy  of  a  work  he  could  never  hope  to  look 
into  in  decent  type.  So  the  poor  fellow  fed  his  mind,  at  dear 
expense  of  his  eyesight. 

He  had  one  ruling  desire,  one  goal  of  all  his  aspirations — a 
professorship  in  a  college.  That  life,  secluded,  studious,  undis 
turbed  by  farm  drudgery,  and  surrounded  by  the  best  works  of 
master-thinkers,  appeared  to  Teddy  to  be  the  good  place  to  get 
into. 

Such  a  culmination  of  vain  longings  and  useless  dreams 
seemed  impossible,  even  to  his  elder  sister,  who  would  have 
bartered  her  life  to  make  them  realities,  and  could  only  fret  and 
chafe  in  secret  rebellion  at  her  powerlessness,  while  she  listened 
to  the  poor  fellow's  talk  ;  but  the  hope  was  always  ahead  of 
him,  making  his  distasteful  present  endurable. 

Dolly  had  no  such  volumes  beneath  her  eyes  as  sixteen  loves 


44  Parson  Hct/ticaitc  at  Home. 

— no  poetry,  no  romance,  no  thousand  and  one  tales,  to  kindle 
her  young  fancy  and  enthrall  her  mind.  Oh,  no  ;  she  was  knit 
ting  her  brows  over  a  Latin  task,  and  her  constant  reference  to 
her  dictionary  kept  up  a  rattling  of  its  leaves  which  tormented 
Teddy's  quiet-loving  ears.  Dolly  was  trying  to  read  what  Mal 
colm  called  her  "  Kikero." 

olm,  who  would  have  been  a  merry-hearted,  frolicsome 
lad  in  a  more  genial  atmosphere,  was  often  sullen  and  ill-tem 
pered,  lie  was  hard  at  work  on  a  problem,  and  certain  tear- 
stains  and  dirt-splashes  on  his  cheeks  hinted  "that  he  might  have 
failed  in  his  lesson,  and  borne  the  punishment  of  failure.  In 
fact,  the  irritating,  provoking  gestures  of  Billy,  the  ten-year-old, 
who  acted  a  pantomime,  behind  his  father's  back,  of  a  wrig 
gling  sufferer  writhing  under  the  rod,  in  the  pauses  of  the  bu/- 
zing  whispers  in  which  he  conned  his  geography,  presently  drew 
from  Malcolm  this  threat,  also  in  pantomime  : 

"  I'll  punch  your  head  when  we  get  upstairs." 

The  baby  of  this  household,  little  Bettine,  or  Betty,  as  she 
was  commonly  called,  leaned  against  her  sister  Perdita,  who 
showed  her  pictures  in  an  old  Pilgrim's  Progress. 

The  clasp  of  the  elder  sister's  arm  around  the  little  one  was 
close  and  fond ;  the  voice  in  which  she  spoke  to  her  as  she 
turned  the  pages  was  soft  and  loving ;  the  'looks  she  poured 
into  the  small  learner's  uplifted  eyes  were  such  glances  of 
absorbed  and  absorbing  fondness  as  a  slave  mother  might  give 
to  a  helpless  child  at  the  mercy  of  a  cruel  master. 

Betty  belonged  to  Perdita  by  a  wrecker's  right,  who  claims 
flotsam  and  jetsam.  She  saved  the  waif  from  the  billows  of 
death  which  swept  her  to  her  very  feet,  a  mite  of  humanity 
scarcely  large  enough  to  hold  a  soul.  All  the  dreary  while  that 
the  worn,  exhausted  mother  lay  just  pulsating  between  time 
and  eternity,  Perdita  attended  the  child  whose  birth  had  laid 
her  so  low ;  and  when  at  last  she  rose  again  to  the  duties  and 
self-denials  of  her  hard  lot,  Perdita  held  fast  to  her  waif.  On 
through  helpless  babyhood  and  delicate  budding,  had  the  tiny 


Parson  Hetkwaite  at  Home.  45 

childlet  clung  close  to  her  preserver,  who  watched  over  her, 
worked  for  her,  shielded  her  when  she  was  able,  and  suffered 
treble  tortures  when  parental  authority  fell  with  a  strong  man's 
heavy  hand  on  the  tender  thing  so  soft  and  harmless  and  beau 
tiful,  in  which  she  had  garnered  her  love. 

Every  article  of  clothing  the  mite  ever  wore  was  the  work  of 
Perdita's  fingers.  If  she  could  have  had  her  will,  choice,  lovely 
fabrics  would  have  adorned  her ;  and  though  she  was  only  able 
to  manage  ordinary  stuffs,  odds  and  ends,  often  pieced  and 
seamed,  she  put  so  much  of  her  woman's  skill  into  patterns 
and  color-blending,  that  her  darling  was  always  wondrously 
dainty,  as  are  the  fringed  gentians  and  anemones  of  the  wood. 

There  was  a  repressed,  subdued,  chastened  appearance  in 
the  group  around  the  table  this  evening,  including  even  the 
frail  nestling,  only  a  baby  yet  in  size,  for  all  her  five  years  of 
growth.  Such  a  timid,  fragile,  slender  slip  of  a  girl  as  a  rough 
father  might  crush  in  his  grasp.  She  looked  as  if  a  small  in 
fliction  of  his  "  good  bringing  up "  might  send  her  so  high 
among  the  angels  that  he  would  never  be  able  to  reach  her 
forever. 

Behind  the  old-fashioned  mirror  were  tucked  a  couple  of 
whips — lithe,  elastic  apple-branches.  The  end  of  one  was 
fringed  and  worn.  Little  Betty's  eyes  often  turned  towards 
them,  and  a  shudder  passed  through  her  as  she  included 
Malcolm  in  the  involuntary  glance.  She  had  also  been  weep 
ing  bitterly,  and  a  sob  shook  occasionally  her  small  form.  She 
was  vicariously  suffering  for  her  brother,  who  had  endured  the 
blows  in  her  presence — a  terrible  sight  for  a  weak,  timorous 
child  ;  a  frightful  memory  to  give  her  ;  a  night-mare  for  a  life 
time. 

An  old-fashioned  chair  stood  in  a  corner  by  the  fireplace, 
having  a  rude  table  on  one  of  its  arms,  with  a  drawer  beneath, 
and  in  it  sat  a  bent,  thin-haired  man,  whose  head  was  covered 
with  a  cotton  handkerchief.  This  was  Parson  Hethwaite,  the 
law-giver  of  the  household,  and  also  its  executioner.  Hard, 


46  Parson  lie!  it  Ihnnc. 

relentless,  unforgiving  as  any  secular  tyrant   who  had  not  been 

.lined  to  proclaim  th"  go>pel  of  mercy  and  peace.  It  could 
not  be  said  that  his  government  was  "  a  word  and  a  blow  ; 
the  blow  coining  first,"  because  he  was  by  no  means  niggardly 
of  his  words,  and  his  blows  followed  no  stated  order  in  their 
coming,  except  that  they  generally  dropped  too  thick  and  fast 
to  be  pleasantly  counted,  either  by  his  victim  or  any  chance 
witness  ;  and  his  arms  were  kept  in  good  muscular  condition 
by  frequent  practice.  His  children  well  understood  what  he 
meant  by  a  "sound  drubbing,"  or  a  "  smart  flogging." 

The  pale,  pinched,  crushed  thing  who  sat  on  the  other  side 
of  the  chimney,  footing  a  blue  yarn  sock,  was  the  wife  and 
mother,  who  years  ago  promised  to  obey  the  slumbering  auto 
crat  opposite  her.  Jle  also  swore  to  cherish  her.  Slic  had 
kept  thoroughly  her  promise  ;  he  had  long  ago  lost  sight  of  his, 
in  the  wear  and  tear  of  a  life  which  had  mangled  him  sorely. 

A  very  learned  man  was  Parson  Hethwaite,  but  not  apt  to 
teach,  not  acceptable  in  the  pulpit  or  parish. 

In  his  youth  he  had  nourished  high  hopes  and  expectations, 
and  had  completed  his  college  course  creditably,  plodded 
through  the  University,  taken  in  all  the  dogmas  and  doctrines, 
all  the  traditions  of  the  elders,  and  laid  them  up  as  the  staple 
of  his  sermons  ;  and  he  ground  away  at  them  in  the  most  ortho 
dox  manner,  giving  himself  no  leisure  to  use  his  own  brains 
beyond  his  patterns  and  teachers,  so  that  he  was  an  eminently 
safe  preacher,  never  off  the  platform,  and  it  seemed  that  the 
absence  of  danger  from  heresy  and  schism,  lulled  his  hearers 
to  sweet  repose  during  his  discourses,  for  they  often  slept  the 
sleep  of  the  just,  even  while  he  was  demonstrating  to  them 
that  hell-fire  was  the  certain  destiny  of  a  very  considerable 
portion  of  the  human  race. 

Mr.  Hethwaite  married  a  wife  intending  to  take  care  of  her, 

'  if  he  had  any  definite  intentions  on  the  point.     At  any  rate,  a 

wife  being  a  necessity  to  a  minister,  he  picked  out  one ;  and 

he  had  his  little  romance  over  the  selection  too,  and  talked 


Parson  HctJiwaitc  at  Home.  47 

honey  and  "  rained  kisses  "  with  the  best  of  them.  A  grocer's 
clerk  couldn't  have  been  more  "  spooney"  over  a  milliner's  ap 
prentice,  having  no  fear  of  perdition  before  his  eyes. 

I  icing  settled  with  a  helpmeet,  he  looked  about  for  a 
field  wherein  to  exercise  his  calling.  But  the  laborers  were  not 
few  ;  that  scarcity  was  over  long  ago,  and  the  young  men  who 
did  not  want  to  Avork  with  their  hands  had  been  for  years  slip 
ping  into  the  ministry,  so  that  the  vineyard  was,  so  to  speak, 
glutted,  and  nobody  wished  to  listen  to  Mr.  Hethwaite.  When 
he  preached  his  ordeal  sermon  as  fifty-second  candidate  for  the 
Merry  Bank  stone  church  pulpit,  he  was  voted  "slow,  dull, 
tiresome."  Miss  Walsingham  said  he  could  not  reason,  Bianca 
Ashcroft  said  his  sermon  ought  to  be  set  to  Windham  and  chant 
ed  at  funerals.  The  young  folks  complained  that  he  talked 
through  his  nose.  Nobody  was  suited  ;  so  they  waited  for 
candidate  number  fifty-three,  and  Mr.  Hethwaite  looked  farther. 

He  did  get  a  parish  at  last,  and  held  it,  or  rather  it  held  him 
a  year,  and  no  efforts  could  ever  get  him  another ;  and  the 
upshot  of  it  was.  he  was  soured,  out  of  conceit  with  the  world, 
which  used  him  so  hardly,  and  discouraged,  before  he  had  fairly 
had  a  chance  to  develop  into  any  usefulness. 

A  few  years'  teaching  in  a  boys'  school  gave  him  a  meagre 
support,  but  even  there  he  was  not  wanted. 

The  lads  hated  him ;  they  cut  up  his  whips,  stuck  him  to  his 
chair  with  shoemakers'  wax,  rubbed  his  desk  with  poison-ivy, 
locked  him  out,  and  fastened  him  in,  and  made  his  life  a  bur 
den  to  him  in  a  thousand  other  of  the  ingenious  ways  delighted 
in  by  vivacious  and  amiable  boys.  And  when  he  could  no 
longer  endure  their  pleasantries  he  resigned,  and  as  he  was 
leaving  the  village  they  hooted,  and  bawled,  and  screeched 
after  him,  till  their  lungs  gave  out  and  their  throats  were 
hoarse. 

Next  Mr.  Hethwaite  went  out  as  a  missionary  to  the  Choc- 
taws,  and  he  tarried  long  enough  among  the  noble  red  men  to 
feel  that  shooting  was  the  only  christianizing  they  were  capable 


48  Parson  Hcthwaite  at  Home. 

of.  He  acquired  a  full  and  accurate  knowledge  of  the  flora 
and  fauna  of  the  country,  and  being  recalled  and  dismissed  by 
the  Board  on  the  charge  of  incompetency,  he  brought  home  a 
healthy  boy,  born  to  him  in  exile,  and  a  box  of  Osage  orange- 
seed,  with  which  he  planted  a  hedge  all  around  his  old  home 
stead,  and  he  retired  behind  it  in  disappointed  seclusion,  mak 
ing  no  fresh  efforts  for  the  good  of  mankind,  and  beyond  an 
occasional  supply  of  some  of  the  neighboring  pulpits  in  cases 
of  absolute  emergency,  his  preaching  was  finished. 

He  was  too  poor  to  hire  a  horse,  and  the  nearest  meeting 
house  was  a  couple  of  miles  off.  Therefore  his  long  walks  of  en 
made  him  late,  and  he  had  an  embarrassed,  perturbed  habit  of 
consulting  his  watch  after  entering  the  pulpit,  and  mopping  his 
face  and  saying, 

"There  appears  to  be  a  discrepancy  in  the  time."  A 
thoughtless  girl,  who  got  tired  of  the  repetition,  dubbed  him 
"  Old  Discrepancy,"  and  somehow  the  name  got  fastened  on 
him,  so  that  after  a  while  it  reached  his  -ears,  and  it  added  gall 
to  his  cup  already  bitter  enough. 

His  eyes,  jealously  sharpened  by  past  experiences,  observed 
that  the  young  people  were  apt  to  slip  away  at  his  approach, 
and  the  elders  yawned  or  slept  through  his  discourses ;  and  he 
really  felt  heart-sore  enough  to  weep,  when  a  certain  well- to-do 
farmer,  who  had  been  comfortably  awaiting  the  expected 
coming  of  his  own  pastor,  jumped  up  at  sight  of  him,  and 
sei/ed  his  hat,  glancing  hurriedly  out  of  a  window  near  his  pew, 
as  if  he  saw  a  fracas  among  the  horses  under  the  long  shed, 
and  must  hasten  to  adjust  it,  and  he  plainly  heard  him  say  in 
the  porch  as  he  went : 

"  No  buzzing  from  Old  Discrepancy  for  me.  I'll  go  over  to 
the  Universal,  and  get  myself  comfortably  put  into  glory." 

A  disappointed  man  is  not  as  a  rule  the  jolliest  sort  of 
father,  and  Mr.  Hethwaite's  treatment  of  his  children  was 
calculated  to  take  the  cheerfulness  out  of  them  in  his  pres 
ence.  Not  one  of  them  ever  thought  of  addressing  him,  even 


Parson  Hethwaite  at  Home.  49 

to  ask  the  simplest  question.  Dumbness  being  the  rule  when 
the  solid  clump  of  the  paternal  boot  was  heard  approaching, 
even  the  wife  and  mother  got  a  habit  of  saying, 

"  Hush,,  children,  your  father  is  coming." 

Fun  being  made  a  crime,  it  took  all  the  violence  of  reckless 
debauch  in  his  absence,  and  was  severely  punished  when  dis 
covered. 

As  the  young  folks  grew  up,  they  made  sorry  jokes  over 
their  dreary  childhood.  Teddy  said  his  father  used  to  take  him 
oat  into  the  orchard  for  a  pleasant  stroll,  when  he  went  to  cut 
the  weekly  whips,  and  make  him  carry  them  home,  and  that 
the  afternoon  was  mostly  his  pleasantest  time,  because  he  had 
usually  got  his  diurnal  flogging  then,  and  felt  that  it  was  over. 

Malcolm  being  up  for  punishment  one  day,  when  the  supply 
of  rods  was  exhausted,  his  father  bade  him  wait  in  the  kitchen, 
while  he  cut  a  twig  ;  the  poor  lad  stood  trembling  with  dread, 
when  Billy  appeared.  Suddenly  the  spirit  of  self-preservation 
led  Malcolm  to  procure  a  substitute. 

"  Billy,"  said  he,  "  father  wants  you  to  stop  here  till  he  comes 
back,"  and  darting  away,  he  made  good  his  escape. 

Presently  the  excellent  divine  returned,  trimming  his  stick 
and  peeling  it  to  his  mind,  and  he  seized  Billy  by  the  arm,  and 
lashed  him  till  he  howled  again.  It  was  not  till  he  stopped  to 
bestow  the  withering  look  which  always  topped  off  his  discipline, 
that  he  discovered  he  had  been  thrashing  the  wrong  boy. 

"  Oh,  it's  you,  is  it,  sir  ?  Well,  well !  If  you  don't  deserve 
it  now,  you  will  some  other  time  ! " 

With  this  consolation,  he  stuck  the  rod  in  its  place  behind 
the  looking-glass,  and  stalked  away  in  a  most  stately  and  digni 
fied  manner,  leaving  his  son  to  rub  his  bruises  and  wipe  his 
tears,  and  swallow  his  indignation  at  his  leisure. 

Perhaps  it  is  as  well  to  add  the  sequel  of  the  story,  in  which 
wicked  Malcolm  got  his  reward. 

Teddy,  the  peaceable,  was  so  much  roused  by  the  injustice  of 
the  action  and  the  mean  selfishness  of  the  proper  culprit,  that 
3 


5O  Parson  Hethwaite  at  Home. 

he  drubbed  him  soundly,  and  thus  brought  the  glee  and  frisk  and 
chaffing  with  which  lie  was  triumphing  over  Hilly,  to  a  sudden 
conclusion. 

Parson  Hethwaite  taught  his  children  /with  accurate  method 
and  painstaking  labor ;  but  half  the  benefit  of  his  instructions, 
and  all  the  pleasure  they  might  have  given,  were  taken  out  of 
them  by  the  dreary  grind  and  ever-recurring  punishments. 

As  his  eldest  daughter,  Perdita,  grew  towards  womanhood,  he 
gradually  imposed  the  daily  drill  and  drudgery  upon  her,  so  that, 
while  other  girls  of  Jier  age  were  likely  to  be  thinking  of  merry 
makings  and  carnal  pleasures,  she  was  digging  amongst  the  roots 
of  the  dead  tongues,  and  puzzling  her  young  head  for  some 
effectual  methods  of  imparting  to  the  others  what  had  cost  her 
so  much  toil  and  weariness  to  get,  so  that  they  might  escape  the 
ferulings  and  ear-pullings  she  had  endured ;  and  all  of  them 
looked  forward  with  dread  to  the  weekly  examinations,  when  the 
teacher  often  shared  with  her  pupils  the  punishment  of  mistakes 
or  failures. 

As  the  years  wore  on,  the  Parson  spent  more  and  more  of 
his  time  in  his  bare,  dreary  study,  writing  bare,  dreary  sermons 
on  the  doctrines  his  theological  school  had  taught  him,  and 
which  got  no  softness  or  smoothing  with  his  increasing  age. 

Ripe  thinkers,  well-balanced,  soundly  developed  men,  who 
lead  pleasant,  profitable  lives,  often  come  to  apprehend  and 
feel  more  love  in  their  Christ  as  the  fleeting  days  bring  them 
closer  to  his  many  mansions. 

Mr.  Hethwaite  had  hard  lines  for  everybody.  "  Wrath  !  wrath  !" 
The  thunders  of  Sinai,  and  the  terrors  of  the  law  till  the  bitter  end, 
insomuch  that  it  appeared  to  his  household  that  the  principal 
object  of  bringing  them  into  the  world  must  have  been  to  keep 
everything  away  from  them  which  they  could  enjoy,  pile  on  as 
many  disagreeables  as  possible,  and  after  this  life  of  pru 
and  constant  endurance  was  finished,  to  drop  them  into  a  per 
dition  which  they  had  had  from  the  first  no  chance  of  escaping, 
try  as  hard  as  they  might,  because  they  felt  in  themselves  a 


Parson  HctJnvaite  at  Home.  5 I 

wicked,  rebellious  dissatisfaction  with  their  lot,  which  proved  that 
they  could  not  be  of  the  elect,  who  are  thankful  for  everything. 

Poor  Mrs.  Hethwaite,  pretty  Violet  Wemple  that  was,  fol 
lowed  her,  husband  among  the  Chocktaws,  dreadfully  afraid  of 
every  redskin  she  saw,  keeping  as  much  out  of  their  way  as 
possible,  and  plagued  with  nightly  visions  of  seeing  her  children 
scalped  before  her  eyes. 

She  used  to  tell  stories  to  them  of  that  period,  and  her  hard 
ships  and  perils,  to  which  they  listened  with  eager  ears. 

"  One  night,"  she  would  say,  "  when  your  father  had  gone 
away  from  the  settlement,  leaving  me  in  the  house  with  only 
Teddy  and  Perdita,  there  came  four  great  stout  Indians, 
wrapped  in  their  blankets,  and  planted  themselves  before  the 
kitchen  fire.  They  asked  me  for  something  to  eat,  which  I 
got,  and  then  they  lay  down  on  the  hearth.  I  dared  not  tell 
them  to  go,  and  was  afraid  to  stay  ;  so  I  took  my  two  babies, 
and  slipped  into  my  bed-room  and  locked  the  door.  I  did  not 
go  to  bed,  but  sat  beside  them  as  they  slept,  listening  to  every 
noise,  and  feeling  my  blood  creep  at  the  falling  of  a  brand  in 
the  fireplace,  or  the  chirp  of  a  cricket,  till  midnight,  when  your 
father  came  home. 

He  looked  in  at  the  window  and  saw  by  the  light  of  the  em 
bers,  the  savages  sound  asleep.  And  then  he  came  around  and 
tapped  on  my  sash  and  called  softly,  "Violet,"  and  I  guess, 
for  once  in  his  life,  he  was  glad  to  hear  my  voice ;  at  any  rate, 
he  was  as  white  as  a  ghost  when  he  came  in." 

From  the  wooed  to  the  drudge  had  been  a  swift  transition, 
and  the  wife  droned  on  in  the  everlasting  rut;  pinching,  sav 
ing,  making  do  ;  footing  stockings,  piecing  out  garments,  feed 
ing  many  mouths  on  little ;  always  ill-nourished,  ill-clothed, 
kept  down  to  the  barest  possible  allowance  of  everything. 
What  wonder  that  her  prettiness  soon  faded,  and  premature  age 
stamped  her  face  and  form  with  lines  and  angles,  defacing  and 
deforming  her  upright,  beautiful  youth  ? 

Once  in  a  while  the  neighbors  would  rally  and  give  them  a 


52  Parson  HctJi'^aitc  at  Home. 

donation  party,  on  which  occasions  she  had  to  come  to  the 
fore,  and  do  all  the  cringing  and  thankfulness,  to  which  her 
husband  would  not  stoop  ;  and  her  constant  habit  of  concealing 
transgressions  which  were  not  sins,  as  well  as  faults  which  were, 
permitting  things  forbidden  whenever  she  was  able,  standing 
between  the  culprit  and  the  executioner,  gave  her  an  uneasy, 
apologetic  way  not  at  all  pleasant ;  and  if  she  had  not  been 
the  most  patient  and  gently-kind  of  mothers,  her  own  children 
must  have  despised  her,  so  rebuked  and  lectured,  and  made  to 
obey,  were  they  accustomed  to  see  her. 

Whatever  Violet  Wemple  might  have  become  under  sunnier 
skies  and  genial  warmth,  Violet  Hethwaite  was  certainly  a 
poor-spirited,  nervous,  thin,  feeble  woman,  just  what  her  hus 
band  and  his  treatment  had  made  her. 

This  was  the  household  to  which  Mr.  Slaughton  and  his 
mother  were  admitted,  when  they  accepted  the  "  Come  in  " 
which  followed  their  knock  on  the  side  door,  and  entered  the 
keeping-room  of  the  minister's  family. 

"  Oh,  good  evening,"  said  Mrs.  Hethwaite,  gathering  np  her 
ball  and  pulling  her  needle  out  of  its  sheath,  as  she  hurriedly  rose 
with  a  humble  bow  to  her  visitors  ;  "  most  happy  to  see  you, 
I'm  sure.  Husband,  here's  Mrs.  Slaughton  come  to  call ;  Per- 
dita,  get  up  and  speak  to  the  friends." 

The  divine  pulled  down  his  extinguisher  and  disclosed  a 
head  as  hard  and  round  as  a  granite  bowlder,  and  a  face  full 
of  untimely  lines,  all  bearing  downwards,  such  as  only  an 
unsatisfied,  meagre,  mortified  life,  full  of  disappointments  and 
bitter  set-backs,  could  have  chiselled  there,  but  a  face  set  with 
obstinacy,  with  overbearing,  arbitrary  will  not  broken  by 
adversity. 

He  rose  with  a  "  what-have-you-come-for  ?  "  kind  of  manner, 
and  barked  out  a  sort  of  welcome,  while  his  wife  fidgeted  and 
smiled,  and  repeated  "  Glad  to  see  you,  very  glad,"  and  nodded 
and  frowned  at  her  daughter  with  a  face  as  nearly  threatening 
as  such  a  poor-hearted  creature  could  assume. 


Parson  HetJiwaite  at  Home.  53 

Perdita  stood  up  quietly  and  did  as  she  was  bid.  If  she  had 
been  forewarned  of  the  visit  and  its  meaning,  she  gave  no 
evidence  of  such  knowledge  by  agitation  or  trepidation.  She 
took  the  hand  which  the  dame  offered,  or  rather  she  touched 
the  tips  of*  the  fingers ;  and  she  accepted  the  kiss  which  was 
proffered,  but  she  turned  her  cheek  to  the  saluting  lips,  and  she 
wiped  it  off  as  soon  as  she  could  afterwards. 

She  bowed  and  curtsied  to  the  gentleman,  who  was  intro 
duced  by  his  mother,  with  her  eyes  upon  the  middle  button  of 
his  waistcoat;  and  then  she  went  and  sat  down  in  a  corner, 
taking  Betty  with  her,  and  followed  by  Teddy,  who  flamed  up 
red  and  angry,  as  if  he  had  been  insulted  by  the  visitors,  who 
had,  however,  spoken  courteously  enough  to  the  group  around 
the  table. 

Sam  Slaughton  could  scarcely  see  the  girl  who  was  selected 
for  his  wife,  through  the  gloom  of  the  shadowy  room.  An  erect 
figure  she  seemed  to  him,  stiff  and  awkward,  a  dark  face  made 
more  sombre  and  forbidding  by  masses  of  black  hair. 

Sam's  ideal  of  female  loveliness  had  a  beautiful  head  covered 
by  braids  of  dead  gold,  and  features  as  fine  and  pure  as  chiselled 
marble.  Sam  never  in  his  life  saw  anything  to  admire  in  a 
brunette.  Even  that  specimen  of  Spanish  loveliness  named 
Dolores,  or  the  breathing  brightness  called  Peace  Pelican,  had 
no  charms  for  him ;  and  while  he  listened  to  the  crabbed  growl 
which  the  Parson  considered  conversation,  he  remembered  how 
Lord  Pembroke  had  styled  Dr.  Johnson's  talk  and  manner  "  a 
sort  of  bow-wow  way ;  "  and  he  also  felt  an  amused  resentment 
at  his  mother  and  a  plain  statement  which  she  had  set  forth 
quite  positively  to  him. 

"  A  man  never  marries  his  ideal."  He  looked  at  the  girl 
selected  for  him,  that  brow  of  Egypt  in  the  corner.  He  took 
the  lappels  of  his  coat-breast  in  his  two  hands  and  adjusted  his 
collar  with  an  aggravated  pull  and  a  duck  of  his  head.  "  Not 
that  it  makes  any  difference  to  me,  while  there  are  countries 
left  to  explore,  new  scenes  to  visit." 


54  Parson  HctJusaitc  at  Home. 

Once  or  twice  he  caught  ^plashes  of  talk,  but  that  was  Teddy, 
who  spoke  in  a  low  tone  to  his  sister,  sitting  so  close  to  her 
that  his  imperfect  eyes  couKl  study  her  face. 

Scraps  of  the  conversation  of  the  two  old  ladies  also  reached 
him.  '-Three  kinds  of  cake,  with  the  bride's  loaf,  quite  sutti- 
cient ;  hum  hum;  frosting;  hum  hum;  burnt  almonds;  good 
bake;  hum  hum " 

Presently  there  came  a  loud  knock  at  the  front  door,  which 
Malcolm  was  sent  to  answer. 

"  The  tax  collector,  father  ;  he's  in  the  spare  room,"  he  said 
when  he  returned ;  and  Parson  Hethwaite  beting  to  be 
excused,  went  out,  making  his  hard  face  harder  while  he 
counted  over  his  available  dollars. 

The  two  mothers  exchanged  winks ;  or  rather,  Widow 
Slaughton  cut  her  eye  at  her  neighbor,  who  could  not  be  bold 
enough  to  venture  on  such  a  liberty  as  returning  the  signal  ; 
taking  the  hint,  which  was  made  plain  by  some  pointing  at  the 
young  people,  and  the  single  word  "out,"  pronounced  in  a 
wide-mouthed  whisper,  she  arose  and  sent  them  to  bed  ;  nearly 
trembling  as  she  did  so  for  fear  of  the  scolding  she  might  get 
from  her  lord  and  master  for  her  presumption  ;  and  then  the 
arch-plotters  left  the  room  together.  Outside  the  door  they 
paused  for  a  conference,  and  presently  Mrs.  Hethwaite  put  in 
her  head. 

"  Hadn't  you  better  go  down  and  make  sure  that  you  locked 
the  hen-house,  Teddy  ?  Mr.  Batt  lost  twelve  of  his  best  hens 
last  night,  and  they  think  it  is  Teagle  ;  he  was  caught  lurking 
about.  Hadn't  you  better,  Teddy  ?  " 

"  Hen-house  be  hanged,"  muttered  Teddy.  "They  want  to 
get  rid  of  me,  that's  all.  Perdita,  I  shall  have  to  leave  you  to 
the  Goths  and  Vandals." 

'•  I  am  able  to  take  my  own  part,  if  necessary,"  replied  the 
girl  in  a  low  voice.  "  Ridiculous,  is  it  not  ?  " 

Dame  Slaughton  came  pattering  in  while  the  young  man  was 
gathering  up  his  books ;  and  with  as  bland  a  smile  as  she  could 


Parson  Hethwaite  at  Home.  55 

have  bestowed  on  a  second,  she  whispered  in  her  son's  ear,  first 
saying  in  a  preternaturally  audible  voice, 

"Oh  Samuel,  my  son,  is  this  your  glove?"  showing  him 
one  she  had  just  drawn  from  her  own  fingers  for  the  purpose. 
"Now,  my  dear  boy,  talk  a  little — there's  a  dear;  just  a  little 
to  please  me.  You  won't  have  any  trouble,  the  ground  is  all 
laid  out — she  understands  her  part.  Speak  out,  now,  Sammy 
—do!" 

Mr.  Slaughton  had  no  idea  of  speaking  out,  and  the  informa 
tion  he  had  gotten  that  "  she  "  was  up  in  her  role  did  not  any 
more  incline  him  towards  the  girl  in  the  corner  ;  but  it  was 
abominably  awkward.  He  felt  as  if  he  was  back  into  youth 
and  roundabouts,  when  his  mother  washed  his  face  and  bade 
him  "  behave  in  meeting."  The  ludicrousness  of  his  position 
so  forcibly  struck  him,  that  he  could  have  laughed  if  he  had 
not  been  so  angry. 

A  couple  of  minutes  of  dead  silence  followed  the  exit  of 
the  ladies — silence  which  made  the  snores  of  Rose,  the  yellow 
dog,  who  lay  in  a  corner  of  the  hearth,  absurdly  distinct  and 
audible  ;  while  Perdita's  eyes  rested  on  her  visitor  with  a  glance 
entirely  free  of  curiosity  or  interest. 

Little  Betty  climbed  on  her  sister's  knee,  and  snuggling  into 
her  arms,  settled  herself  with  a  contented  squirm,  and  she  too 
scanned  the  guest  with  her  clear  baby-eyes,  which  seemed  able 
to  fathom  his  inmost  thoughts. 

Sam  felt  nettled  and  provoked  with  the  dumbness  of  the 
girl,  but  he  also  felt  obliged,  as  a  gentleman,  to  make  a  remark. 

"Your  little  sister  seems  quite  fond  of  you,  Miss  Hethwaite." 

"  She  is  fond  of  me — she  has  good  reason.  I  am  her  best 
friend,"  was  her  reply  in  a  sort  of  unchanging  monotone,  as 
cold  and  indifferent  as  human  voice  could  be. 

"  You  make  a  great  pet  of  her,  I  dare  say,"  continued  Sam, 
not  much  relishing  the  role  of  a  snubbed  individual. 

"  We  have  no  pets  in  this  house.  I  wash  and  dress  Betty, 
and  1  make  her  clothes  and  hear  her  lessons." 


56  Parson  Hcthisaitc  at  Home. 

"  She  studies  Mother  Goose  and  doll-babies,  I  suppose,"  said 
Sain,  looking  at  the  mite. 

"  \Ve  never  had  any  such  nonsense.  \Ve  are  not  allowed.  I 
did  once  make  her  a  rag-baby,  which  father  burned  up;  and  as  I 
hated  to  see  her  cry  her  eyes  out  over  her  loss,  I  never  tried  it 
any  more." 

"  How  extremely  unpleasant !  "  thought  Sam.  "  I  wonder 
why  mother  plunged  into  this  family  of  all  others,  and  picked 
out  this  icicle,  this  stock,  this  stone,  this  frozen  thing." 

He  was  still  ringing  the  changes  on  the  unpleasantness  when 
the  arch-plotters  returned. 

"  Well,  Sammy,  did  you  pop  the  question  ?  "  inquired  the 
dame  in  a  cheerful  whisper,  patting  his  head  with  her  hand  and 
smiling  benignantly  at  him.  "  Is  it  all  arranged  ?  " 

"  Mother,  this  is  not  fair,"  replied  Sam  in  a  subdued  growl. 
"  You  remember  what  I  told  you.  I  shall  stick  to  the  letter  of 
my  bargain  ;  but  I  won't  go  an  inch  beyond." 

As  he  finished  his  speech  he  laughed  and  pulled  away  his 
head  from  the  encouraging  caress  it  was  getting.  He  couid 
not  help  laughing  at  the  absurdity  of  the  whole  proceeding  ; 
it  was  so  ridiculous.  "  Come,  mother,  I  think  we  have  stopped 
long  enough  ;  let's  go  home." 

"  Not  yet,  my  son,"  replied  the  dame  decidedly.  "  I  have 
not  finished  my  business  yet.  Perdita,  come  here." 

"Yes,  Perdita,  come  here  !  "  chimed  in  Mrs.  Hethwaite  in  a 
cringing  way.  She  had  been  rumpusing  with  the  poker  and 
tongs  during  the  dialogue  between  the  guests,  and  she  enforced 
her  order  by  thrusting  the  poker  towards  the  distant  corner 
where  the  girl  sat,  as  she  spoke.  "Come  right  here,  when 
Mrs.  Slaughton  is  so  kind  as  to  call  you." 

"  Here's  my  son  Samuel,  come  to  ask  you  to  marry  him. 
I  suppose  he  feels  a  little  bashful,  and  so  I  help  him  along," 
the  dame  finished,  maliciously  twinkling  her  eyes  at  her  victim. 
"  Sammy  always  was  rather  bashful  with  the  girls.  He's  afraid 
of  women  ;  but  he'll  make  you  a  first-rate  husband." 


Parson  Hethwaite  at  Home.  57 

"And  a  high  honor  he  confers  on  you,  I'm  sure,"  chimed  in 
Mrs.  Hethwaite,  frowning  and  grimacing  at  her  silent  child. 
"  Speak  immediately,  and  say  '  I  am  much  obliged,  and  thank 
you  kindly »'  " 

"  I  am  much  obliged,  and  thank  you  kindly,"  recited  Perdita, 
as  if  it  had  been  a  lesson.  She  had  risen  when  bid  to  do  so, 
but  had  not  stirred  from  her  place  ;  and  she  clasped  a  little 
closer  the  small  hand  she  held  in  her  firm  grasp. 

Sam  glowered  at  his  mother,  but  he  bowed  to  the  girl.  He 
could  do  no  less,  and  he  would  do  no  more. 

"  Next  Wednesday,  three  o'clock,"  said  Mrs.  Slaughton. 
"  That  is  what  your  mother  and  I  have  settled  to.  Does  the 
time  suit  you  ?  " 

"  As  well  as  another,  ma'am,"  was  the  concise  answer.  As 
she  spoke,  she  looked  down  at  Betty,  who  was  clinging  to  her 
in  a  frightened  way.  They  could  not  fathom  the  tumult 
uous  thoughts  which  had  been  raging  beneath  her  outward 
stillness ;  they  had  no  idea  of  the  motives  which  impelled 
her ;  they  only  saw  her  dark,  quiet,  indifferent. 

"Yes,  Wednesday,  the  thirtieth  of  September,"  said  Mrs. 
Hethwaite  ;  "  a  very  nice  time  of  year  to  get  married — very, 
indeed  !  It  is  very  thoughtful  of  you,  and  we  are  grateful  that 
you  have  come  to  our  poor  house,  and  picked  out  our  poor 
girl,  when  you  had  rich  folks  to  choose  from,  with  nice  clothes 
and  everything.  Well,  if  she  don't  bring  any  money  with  her, 
it  is  all  the  more  reason  why  she  should  make  a  good,  obedient 
wife  ;  and  I  am  sure  she  will,  Mr.  Slaughton,  she  has  been  well 
trained." 

"  I  shall  not  be  exacting,  madam,"  replied  the  gentleman, 
and  his  tone  and  manner  said  plainly,  "  all  I  wish  is  to  be  left 
alone." 

"  And  we  think  you  had  better  come  right  home  after  the 

ceremony.     My  son  has  travelled  about  all  over  the  created 

world,  and  he  needs  quiet.     I  did  not  take  any  journey  after 

my  wedding.     I  don't  approve  of  the  fuss  and  the  expense,  and 

3* 


58  Parson  HctJiii'aitc  at  Home. 

I  don't  suppose  you  care  about  going  anywhere,  do  you  ? 
remarked  the  widow. 

"  Not  in  the  least,  madam." 

"That  is  all  settled,  then.  Now  I  am  ready  to  go,  Sammy. 
We  shall  have  to  be  pretty  middling  busy  to  get  ready  ;  but 
when  I  have  any  plan  on  hand  I  like  to  drive  it  through,  don't 
you  say  so.  Mis.  Hethwaite?" 

,    Of  course  Mrs.   Hethwaite  agreed  with  the   wealthy  lady; 
and  she  made  great  haste  and  show  of  saying  that  she  did. 

"  So  far  so  good,"  continued  Mrs.  Slaughton  to  the  othei 
arch-plotter,  whose  hand  she  lingered  a  moment  behind  her 
son  to  shake  impressively.  "So  far  so  good.  We'll  hurry 
up  and  have  the  knot  tied,  and  they  can  take  all  their  lives  to 
get  acquainted  in  afterwards,  if  they  want  to." 

"  I  suppose  so,"  replied  Mrs.  Hethwaite  with  a  weary  sigh. 
'"  My  Perdita  is  a  good  girl ;  she  deserves  to  be  as  happy  as  she 
can.  Life  is  a  vale  of  tears — we  journey  to  the  tomb." 

"  She  will  have  a  good  home,  and  plenty  to  do,  and  that  is 
the  best  way  to  be  happy  /have  ever  found,"  replied  the  dame, 
rather  tartly. 

"  I  know  I  ought  to  be  very  grateful  to  you,  and  I  trust  I 
am.  I  do  get  a  little  low  in  my  mind,  sometimes.  Yes,  yes, 
I  shall  make  haste  as  fast  as  I  can.  Wednesday  will  soon  be 
here.  Dear,  dear,  only  to  think  !  " 

.Mr.  Slaughton  turned  to  ofler  his  adieux  to  his  affianced 
bride  ;  but  she  seemed  to  have  forgotten  his  neighborhood. 
She  had  picked  up  little  Betty,  whom  she  held  close  pressed  to 
her  heart,  and  her  head  was  bent  so  that  her  cheek  touched  the 
child's  forehead,  and  a  strange,  defiant  gleam  shot  from  her 
eyes.  The  two,  standing  in  the  half  gloom,  apart  from  the 
others,  made  a  group  which  impressed  itself  unpleasantly  on 
Sam's  mind,  and  he  left  her  without  attempting  to  say  so  much 
as  "Good-night." 

All  the  way  home,  the  dame  talked  of  the  rest  and  ease  and 
comfort  in  store  for  her ;  of  the  Vance  children,  and  the  changes 


Parson  Hcthwaite  at  Home.  59 

to  be  made  in  preparation  for  their  arrival ;  and  when  they 
reached  their  own  door,  she  stopped  and  took  her  son's  hand 
in  hers. 

"  You  will  never  be  sorry  for  your  giving  in  to  my  wishes, 
my  dear  Sammy.  I  shall  not  be  long  here,  and  I  shall  be  able 
to  get  everything  settled  to  my  liking,  and  have  her  broken  to 
my  ways,  and  I  shall  feel  that  I  have  indeed  set  my  house  in 
order,  so  that  it  will  stay  put ;  and  you  will  be  married  and  re 
spectably  fixed  at  home  ;  and  you  will  tidy  up  the  farm,  and 
look  after  Slowgo,  and  make  him  attend  to  his  business ;  and  I 
shall  see  your  boy — my  little  grandson,  before  I  go.  That  is 
the  best  thought  of  all — my  dear,  beautiful  grandson.  You  are 
a  good  lad,  Samuel.  God  bless  you  !  " 

While  the  old  lady  talked,  holding  his  fingers  in  hers  and 
patting  them  softly  with  her  other  hand,  Mr.  Slaughton  was 
thinking  of  the  girl  he  had  left  holding  the  child  in  her  arms,  as 
a  priestess  might  hold  the  victim  she  has  consecrated,  and  is 
about  to  offer  upon  the  altar,  pouring  out  her  own  soul  in  the 
precious  gift ;  and  he  let  the  half-formed  intention  which  had 
been  gathering  in  his  mind,  of  rising  to  the  effort  of  combating 
this  woman's  scheme,  recalling  his  promise,  and  refusing  to  go 
any  farther,  slip  away  from  him.  With  his  mother  before  him, 
talking  as  if  it  were  already  finished,  and  commending  his  good 
ness  for  the  excellent  action,  and  her  great  consolation  in  the 
same,  he  said  nothing,  kissing  her  and  going  away  to  his  room, 
though  with  rather  a  rueful  countenance,  and  as  "  measured 
tread  and  slow"  as  might  have  done  for  a  funeral  procession. 


60  "  The  Eye  of  Prudence  is  not  S/tuf." 

CHAPTER  VI. 

"  THE   EYE  OF   PRUDENCE    IS   NOT   SHUT." 


ONDAY  morning  Mr.  Slaughton  left  for 
Toptown,  where  he  proposed  to  remain 
till  the  wedding-day.  He  had  planned 
to  start  Saturday,  but  finally  concluded 
to  stop  over  Sunday  and  accompany  his 
mother  to  church,  as  she  begged  him  to 
do.  He  might  have  had  a  secret  reason 
for  his  ready  compliance,  for  aught  I 
know.  Neither  can  I  tell  what  was  passing  in  the  dame's 
mind  ;  but  instead  of  attending  her  own  place  of  worship  at 
Ulithebeck  village,  she  went  in  another  direction  and  walked  up 
the  aisle,  on  the  arm  of  the  tall  fellow  she  was  so  proud  of,  and 
seated  herself  in  a  pew  of  the  old  South,  where  the  Hethwaite 
family  were  accustomed  to  assemble  beneath  the  droppings 
of  the  Sanctuary. 

They  were  directly  in  front,  a  couple  of  slips  off,  and  Sam 
looked  them  over,  with  eyes  not  quite  as  willing  to  see  them  at 
their  best  as  they  might  have  been,  had  they  not  been  so 
strangely  and  unexpectedly  thrust  upon  his  notice  a  few 
evenings  since. 

Pinched  poverty,  which  strives  and  strives  to  be  decent ! 
Such  small  patterns  and  eked-out  material !  Dolly's  hat  had 
dyed  ribbons,  and  the  mother's  gown  had  been  so  often  turned 
that  the  seams  were  quite  worn  and  threadbare.  Perdita  sat  in 
the  far  corner,  with  her  mother  ;  and  little  Betty  leaned  against 
her.  He  could  only  see  her  profile,  which  he  was  unwillingly 
obliged  to  admit  to  himself  was  "  well  enough,"  and  the  thick 
braids  of  long  jetty  hair,  which  hung  below  her  trim  shoulders. 


"  The  Eye  of  Prudence  is  not  Shut"  61 

She  held  down  hei  head  ;  not  looking  at  the  minister,  or  any 
person  or  thing  around  her,  though  she  kept  closely  clasped  in 
hers  the  small  hand  of  the  child. 

A  motionless  slip-full  they  were.  Even  Billy  scarce!}'  moved 
his  head  ;  and  Betty  was  so  free  from  the  natural  restlessness 
of  children  that  she  looked  like  a  little  waxen  baby  in  her 
perfect  repose. 

When  they  rose  for  the  long  prayer,  the  Parson  stood  up  in 
his  place,  bending  his  shoulders  and  grasping  the  pew-rail 
before  him  in  his  hands,  and  keeping  his  eyes  shut  till  the 
"  amen."  Malcolm  sat  down  an  instant  before  the  old  gentle 
man,  folding  his  arms  devoutly  ;  but  he  reached  out  just  one 
point  of  time  before  he  placed  them,  to  the  part  of  the  cushion  • 
his  father  was  about  to  occupy ;  and  when  the  pater  dropped 
earnestly  and  solemnly  into  position,  he  popped  up  again  very 
quickly,  and  his  face  grew  extremely  red  while  he  furtively 
reached  under  his  coat-tails  and  produced  thence  a  long  carpet 
tack  which  had  been  standing  on  its  head  ready  to  salute  him 
with  its  "  business  end."  He  turned  his  gaze  slowly  upon  his 
son,  who  was  looking  at  the  minister  with  his  soberest  Sabba- 
day  countenance  on,  oblivious  of  all  about  him — as  blank  and 
innocent  as  if  he  had  never  smiled  in  his  whole  life. 

Those  near  who  had  seen  the  performance  laughed,  and 
Mr.  Slaughton  was  intensely  tickled  with  the  boy-prank. 

"  There  is  something  in  that  lad,"  he  thought.  "  Why,  he 
can't  help  playing  tricks,  even  on  his  pompous  old  father." 

The  truth  is,  Malcolm  had  a  little  grievance  to  adjust.  That 
morning,  at  family  prayers,  he  had  knelt  down  as  usual  next 
Teddy,  with  Billy  on  the  other  side  of  him.  When  the  petition 
was  about  half  over — that  is,  while  the  Parson  was  busy  among 
the  South  Sea  heathens,  whom  he  mentioned  as  excellent  sub 
jects  for  a  thorough  reform  (he  had  read  that  morning,  in 
the  Herald,  of  a  case  of  missionary  eating,  which  had  filled 
him  with  indignation),  Billy  had  moved  softly  on  his  knees 
around  to  Teddy's  place,  and  had  given  his  hair  so  smart  a  pull 


62  "  The  Eye  of  Prudence  is  not  Shut." 

that  he  had  bent  over  to  keep  in  a  cry  of  pain — and  he  hastily 
and  quietly  closed  a  book  he  had  been  perusing  to  wile  the  tedi 
ous  hours.  His  first  thought  was  that  the  check  had  come  from 
his  father,  who  must  have  had  his  eyes  open,  and  he  did  not 
stir  for  half  a  minute.  When  he  did  look  up,  the  boys  were 
each  in  his  place,  and  the  Parson  going  on  so  steadily  that  he 
had  evidently  not  seen  the  book,  or  known  his  offence.  Of 
course,  then,  it  was  Malcolm.  Yes,  of  course  it  was  !  else  why 
was  his  face  buried  in  his  arms  that  way,  pretending  to  be  so 
quiet  and  proper  ? 

Malcolm  rose  from  his  knees,  his  thoughts  still  running  on  a 
sled  he  meant  to  build  for  coasting  that  winter,  the  shoes  for 
which  were  the  theme  of  meditation  which  had  given  him  so 
devout  an  outside.  Being  sent  to  the  wood-house  for  chips  as 
soon  as  the  orison  was  ended,  he  was  closely  followed  by  Teddy 
in  a  flaming  state  of  wrath,  who  pitched  into  him  right  and  left, 
and  punished  him  quite  thoroughly  before  he  had  time  to  col 
lect  his  forces  of  defence,  or  inquire  what  it  all  meant. 

The  young  Hethwaites  were  accustomed  to  say  that  "  when 
Teddy  did  get  mad,  he  got  as  mad  as  fire  ; "  and  so  it  appear 
ed  in  the  present  instance,  and  as  he  dropped  the  blows  he  said 
by  way  of  punctuation,  "  Now,  then,  pull  my  hair  again  if  you 
think  best,  in  prayer-time.  There,  and  there  !  " 

A  chuckle  behind  them,  and  a  hop  and  skip  of  delight  made 
them  both  look  around,  and  there  stood  Billy  dancing  and 
clapping  his  hands. 

"It  was  me  !  it  was  me  !  Goody  !  goody!  Give  it  to  him, 
who  got  me  whipped  in  his  place.  Now  we  are  even,  I  think, 
M r.  Malcolm.  Go  it,  Teddy  !  " 

Teddy  made  haste  to  apologize,  though  he  could  not  help 
laughing,  and  he  had  used  up  all  his  anger  ;  but  the  feelings  of 
the  innocent  sufferer  were  too  much  injured  to  see  any  joke,  and 
when  he  returned  to  the  keeping-room  with  his  chips,  his  under- 
lip  was  hanging  and  his  face  was  as  sullen  as  possible. 

The  Parson    saw  his  son  dash  down  his  load  with  a  grunt, 


"  The  Eye  of  Prudence  is  not  S/tut."  63 

and  he  rose  and  gave  him  a  sound  box  on  the  ear  for  his  cross 
ness  over  his  chores. 

"  Look  pleasant,  you,  sir,"  said  he.  "  I'll  have  no  grumbling 
and  growling  here.  Who  feeds  and  clothes  you,  do  you  sup 
pose,  when  you  can't  earn  the  salt  you  eat  ?  Look  pleasant,  I 
say." 

Malcolm  forgave  Teddy's  mistake,  and  shook  hands  with  him 
before  meeting  ;  but  not  his  father's  blow,  and  the  carpet-tack 
was  his  payment  of  what  he  considered  a  just  debt. 

Perdita  found  the  Bible  chapter,  and  followed  the  minister's 
reading  of  the  lesson  ;  she  sang  all  the  hymns,  and  bent  her 
head  in  the  prayer,  decorous  and  irreproachable,  but  with  such 
a  dreamy  manner — so  spiritless,  so  uninterested,  so  preoccu 
pied,  that  the  bridegroom-to-be  caught  himself  wondering  what 
she  might  be  thinking  of,  and  whether  she  was  really  willing  to 
be  made  a  wife  of  in  such  precipitate  haste — in  such  an  un 
canny  way;  and  the  result  of  his  reflections  was  a  resolution 
which  he  put  into  effect  as  soon  as  he  reached  the  Toptown 
House,  Monday  evening.  He  wrote  her  a  letter,  recommend 
ing  that  she  should  think  twice,  or  even  thrice,  before  submit 
ting  to  the  will  of  the  managers  who  had  been  so  busy  about 
her  future,  and  suggesting  that  if  she  refused  him,  she  might 
have  a  chance  to  find  a  man  who  would  make  a  wooing  before 
the  wedding. 

"  It  matters  little  to  me,"  he  thought  as  he  finished  the  mis 
sive.  "  /  am  a  free  man,  I  can  go  where  and  when  I  like ; 
but  it  is  rather  a  dreary  lookout  for  her,  if  she  does  not  incline 
to  it  from  interested  motives.  There  !  I  have  washed  my 
hands  of  the  responsibility,"  he  concluded,  as  he  sealed  and 
stamped  the  letter  and  tossed  it  from  him.  It  was  a  queer  sort 
of  epiblle  on  a  queer  subject,  and  Sam  lit  a  fresh  cigar  after  he 
had  got  it  off  his  mind,  while  he  hummed  the  refrain  : 

"  What  care  I  how  fair  they  be  ? 
Not  one  of  them  can  be  fair  for  me. " 


The  Barmccidian  Feast. 
CHAPTER   VII. 

THE    BARMECIDIAN    FEAST. 


ERDITA  HETHWAITE  went  about  her 
duties  as  usual  during  the  days  which  fol 
lowed  the  important  evening  when  she 
had  been  asked  and  promised  in  mar 
riage. 

Nothing  was  said  to  her  concerning 
the  important  change  which  was  ar 
ranged  to  take  place  in  her  condition. 

She  often  caught  her  mother's  eyes  dwelling  wistfully  on  her, 
and  many  times  she  saw  her  wipe  away  tears  which  had  filled 
them  to  the  brim  ;  but  that  was  nothing  unusual — the  poor  old 
lady's  eyes  were  habitually  weak  and  watery. 

Sunday  her  father  preached  at  Quaker  Four  Corners,  and 
she  and  Teddy  were  detailed  for  service,  to  help  swell  the  con 
gregation,  the  Parson's  audiences  being  apt  to  be  rather  thin  ; 
so  the  brother  and  sister  walked  over  together. 

And  Teddy  enjoyed  that  walk,  although  he  did  scarcely  any 
of  the  talking.  He  often  thought  afterwards  of  Perdita  as  she 
looked  that  bright,  breezy  Sunday  ;  of  the  brilliant  tints  in  her 
face,  made  more  freshly  blooming  by  the  exercise  and  the  cool 
west  wind  which  was  blowing  across  the  hills  ;  of  her  dress  of 
sombre  stuff,  plain,  meagre,  devoid  of  ornament ;  her  chip  hat, 
with  only  a  band  of  sad-colored  ribbon  around  its  crown  ;  and 
he  remembered  also  the  bunch  of  crimson  leaves  she  culled 
and  fastened  into  it ;  and  how  impetuous  and  defiant  she 
looked  while  busy  with  them,  and  of  the  speech  she  had  made 
about  her  work  when  it  was  completed,  and  she  admired  it  at 
arm's  length  ;  and  how  afi'righted  he  had  felt  at  her  and  her 
bold  action,  and  the  tremendous  destiny  before  her. 


The  Barmecidian  Feast.  65 

"There  !"  she  said,  "God  made  them,  His  forests  painted 
them,  and  I've  got  them  ;  now  I  will  wear  them  to  meeting,  and 
father  may  help  himself." 

It  was  as  if,,  in  the  act  so  simple  and  trifling,  she  was  seizing 
a  precious  right  from  the  hand  of  a  hard  tyrant,* which  she  was 
ready  to  defend  with  her  life. 

Such  a  sudden  uprising  as  it  seemed  to  Teddy — such  a  dan 
gerous,  desperate  rebel  as  she  appeared  to  him  ! 

Oh,  yes,  he  enjoyed  that  walk ;  such  a  many  new  thoughts 
and  feelings  as  she  let  herself  disclose  to  him. 

Seeing  always  the  same  faces,  occupied  by  a  round  of  monot 
onous  pursuits,  staid  and  sober  in  the  presence  of  her  elders, 
this  girl  had  unconsciously  ingrained  a  deep  inner  culture  from 
the  sweet  serenities  and  bold  wonder-work  of  Nature,  in  close 
harmony  with  whom  she  lived  her  unspoken  life.  The  name 
less  spectacles  which  pageanted  before  her  eyes  of  summer  sun 
sets  and  moon -risings  ;  the  resonant  organ-tones  of  the  majestic 
thunder-storms,  rolling  their  deep  diapason  among  the  moun 
tain-tops  ;  the  merry  tinkle  and  "  tireless  play  "  of  the  pure 
brooklets  she  was  so  fond  of  following  in  their  devious  windings  ; 
even  the  many-pointed  snow-flakes  falling  softly,  softly  before 
the  window-pane,  gave  her  rich,  sweet  thoughts,  which  she  car- 
lied  with  her  to  the  study  of  the  old  books  of  the  library,  and 
which  were  intensified  and  harmonized  by  the  master-sway  of 
the  noble  minds  she  daily  communed  with  there. 

Teddy  only  rarely  got  glimpses  of  what  was  passing  in  his 
sister's  soul.  She  was  shy  of  speaking  her  best  conceits, 
because  the  home  influence  was  depressing ;  and  besides,  she 
often  felt  her  ideas  and  conceptions  monstrous,  because  they 
were  so  out  of  the  narrow  bound  she  was  taught  to  set  for  herself. 

This  day  her  tongue  was  loosened,  and  she  talked  so  fast 
and  so  wonderfully  that  the  long  miles  seemed  as  nothing  to 
Teddy,  who  was  sorry  when  they  reached  the  church  door,  and 
she  shut  in  and  composed  her  face  to  the  Sunday  gravity  which 
was  a  part  of  the  parsonage  religion. 


66      .  The  Barniccidian  Feast. 

Fortunately  the  preacher  was  in  sufficient  season  to  save  any 
"discrepancy,"  but  it  seemed  to  his  children  that  the  cast  of 
his  discourse  was  even  more  gloomy  and  lugubrious  than  usual. 

He  had  chosen  for  his  text  the  declaration  of  Paul :  "  For 
all  things  are  yours,  whether  of  the  world,  or  life,  or  death,  or 
things  present,  or  things  to  come  ;  all  are  yours." 

After  the  terrors  of  the  law  and  threatenings  were  dealt 
out  to  the  non-elect,  the  preacher  proceeded  to  prove  to  his 
own  satisfaction  that  all  things  in  the  universe  belonged  to 
believers.  If  they  had  them  to  enjoy  in  abundance,  of  course 
they  were  theirs  by  possession  ;  if  they  had  them  not,  it  was 
because  they  were  not  good  for  them,  and  were  held  in  trust 
as  minors  wait  for  their  estates  ;  and  he  wound  up  in  quite  a 
frenzy  of  exaltation. 

"I  claim  that  we  ought  to  enjoy  all  things  that  are  withheld 
equally  with  those  which  are  bestowed.  Castles,  thrones,  prin 
cipalities,  luxuries,  wealth  ;  perhaps  1  might  have  liked  all  these, 
but  my  Father  owns  them  ;  1  am  His  son,  and  they  are  all  mine. 
I  enjoy  them,  though  I  want  all  things.  Though  I  starve,  I  am 
filled  ;  though  I  am  houseless  and  despised,  I  am  rich,  because 
all  things  are  ours." 

"  Well,"  said  Teddy,  on  their  way  home,  "  how  do  you  like 
that  sort  of  doctrine  ?  Can  you  feel  that  you  have  been  all 
your  days  rolling  in  the  lap  of  luxury  ?  " 

"  I  feel  as  if  I  had  been  to  a  feast  of  the  Barmecides  ;  and 
really,  if  father  was  not  a  preacher,  I  should  say  he  gives  out 
curses  with  astonishing  vehemence  and  enjoyment." 

"  That  is  a  fact,  Perdita.  They  say  he  used  to  swear  like  a 
trooper  before  he  was  converted,  and  I  suppose  it  comes  natu 
ral  yet.  I  believe  the  reason  ministers  put  so  much  damnation 
into  their  sermons  is,  that  they  never  get  any  other  chance  to 
let  off  the  hard  words." 

"  That  sounds  rather  wicked,  Teddy ;  but  I'm  not  sure 
there  is  not  sense  in  it,"  replied  Perdita,  laughing. 

"  How  I  shall  miss  you  next  Sunday,  Perdita,"  said  Teddy, 


The  Barmecidian  Feast.  67 

after  a  short  silence.  "  Did  you  see  the  Slaughtons  in  church  ? 
It  must  be  pleasant  to  ride  to  meeting." 

"  It  is  pleasant  to  walk  with  you,  Teddy,"  said  she,  turning 
quickly  towards  him.  "  No,  I  did  not  see  those  people ;  I 
should  not  have  looked  at  them  if  I  had." 

"  I  should  not  wonder  if  they  came  on  purpose  to  \ooky0u 
over  ;  they  always  go  to  the  village  meeting,  you  know." 

"  I  hope  they  got  paid  for  their  trouble,  if  they  did,"  ob 
served  Perdita,  contemptuously. 

"  Mr.  Slaughton  is  a  handsome  man,"  said  Teddy  in  a 
regretful  voice  ;  "  he  wears  beautiful  clothes." 

"  What  of  that,  Teddy  ?  So  do  professors  wear  beautiful 
clothes ;  so  will  you  some  day.  As  for  his  looks,  do  you  know 
I  should  not  be  able  to  pick  him  out  of  a  crowd  ?  And  it  is 
not  of  the  least  consequence  to  me  whether  he  is  handsome  or 
ugly.  Don't  let's  talk  about  them.  Let's  gather  some  of  these 
pretty  leaves  ;  come  help  me,  Teddy.  I  mean  to  use  a  good 
many  of  them  ;  I  never  had  a  chance  to  adorn  my  room. 
I'll  do  it  when  I  get  free." 

She  shut  her  lips  on  her  destination  after  this  remark,  and 
would  not  let  her  brother  discuss  it,  and  he  was  quite  willing 
to  leave  it,  and  follow  her  lead  ;  for  she  launched  out  into  his 
future — the  college  he  would  join,  the  multitude  of  books  he 
would  have,  the  delicious  leisure  for  study  ;  and  as  she  talked, 
a  sort  of  self-devoted  elevation  shone  in  her  face. 

"  Teddy  !  "  exclaimed  she  as  they  reached  the  parsonage 
gate,  "  you  are  worth  everything  ;  I  couldn't  do  too  much  for 
you  ;  I  shall  buy  you  the  pebble  glasses  you  have  been  longing 
to  have,  and  Betty  shall  go  fane  as  the  Princess  Delight  who 
married  Almanazor." 


68  "  The  Devil  Behaves  to  Us  even  as  lie  Finds  Us" 

CHAPTER  VIII. 
"THE  DEVIL  BEHAVES  TO  us  EVEN  AS  HE  FINDS  us.*' 

JONDAY  morning  Perdita  came  upon  hei 
mother  counting  some  bills  which  she 
had  spread  out  on  the  lap  of  her  check 
apron. 

"Only  ten  dollars,"  said  she,  with  a 
hopeless  sigh.  A  silk  is  out  of  the  ques 
tion,  poor  child  !  She  will  have  to  be 
married  in  a  pongee,  for  all  I  can  see, 
and  Heaven  only  knows  what  Dolly  is  to  do  for  her  winter 
things.  Well,  Perdita,  I  am  sorry  I  can't  fix  you  up  as  I 
should  like  to,"  she  added,  seeing  her  daughter  near  her ;  "  but 
when  folks  can't  do  as  they  would,  they  must  do  as  they  can, 
and  try  to  be  thankful." 

"  Is  it  for  me  that  you  are  lamenting  the  paltriness  of  that 
pile  of  filthy  lucre  ?  I  hope  there  is  not  the  small-pox  in  it. 
Truly,  it  has  an  ancient  and  fish-like  smell." 

"  Of  course  it  is  for  you,  child  ;  there  isn't  anybody  else 
going  to  get  married  Wednesday,  is  there?  I  wouldn't  mind 
how  they  smelt,  if  I  only  had  enough  of  them ;  chicken-money, 
rag-money  and  all — such  a  pitiful  trifle  !  " 

"  What  is  the  difference,  mother  ?  According  to  father's 
doctrines,  we  own  vast  possessions  ;  all  we  lack  is  fertile  imagi 
nations." 

"  I  am  glad  to  see  you  so  chirk,"  said  Mrs.  Hethwaite  com- 
plruningly.  "Why  couldn't  you  smile  so  when  Mr.  Slaughton 
was  to  iee  you,  instead  of  looking  as  glum  as  if  it  was  a  funeral." 
"  It  might  have  been,  with  me  for  chief  mourner,  for  all 
cause  1  found  for  cheerfulness.  Come,  mother,  put  up  your 
hoard,  I  don't  want  any  of  it ;  and  Dolly  must  have  her  new 


"  The  Devil  Behaves  to  Us  even  as  He  Finds  Us."  69 

cloak  and  the  beaver  bonnet  she  would  long  for,  if  she  dared. 
She  is  young  and  pretty — she  loves  finery  ;  she  says  all  the 
heaven  she  wants  is  plenty  to  wear,  and  a  visit  every  day  in 
the  year.  I  think  she  may  get  just  that,  or  its  equivalent, 
somewhere  in  this  life  or  the  next ;  maybe  she  will  start  as 
a  rich  man's  daughter,  with  silks  and  jewels,  and  servants  and 
horses  and  carriages,  when  she's  got  through  being  Dol-ly 
Hethwaite,  the  pinched  child  of  a  poor  minister." 

"What  are  you  talking  about,  Perdita?  It's  lucky  your 
father  don't  hear  you." 

"  Father  has  not  been  able  to  hear  me  think,  since  I  found 
out  how  ;  for  which  mercy  let  me  be  thankful." 

"  Oh,  dear  me!  what's  that?"  exclaimed  Mrs.  Hethwaite, 
looking  over  her  shoulder  in  a  dreadfully  frightened  way. 

"  It's  a  thing  in  a  red  coat  prancing  after  your  money.  Hide 
it  up,  quick ;  he  smells  of  brimstone.  Don't  turn  so  pale, 
mother.  If  the  Old  Scratch  should  come,  he  wouldn't  dare 
touch  you  ;  and  I  don't  feel  afraid  of  him  just  now.  Put  up 
the  chicken-money  and  the  rag-money,  and  come  and  show 
me  how  to  darn  Teddy's  best  coat;  it  is  broken  on  the  elbow." 

"  But  I  must  stop  to  consider  ;  you  can't  be  married  in  that 
shabby  calico,  can  you  ?  " 

"As  soon  as  any.  There,  don't  scold,  don't  cry.  I'm  going 
away  too  soon.  If  you  had  the  finest  silk  in  the  store,  you 
could  not  get  it  made,  you  know.  The  time  is  short — not  many 
working  hours  before  the  awful  day  shall  corne — the  appointed 
time  which  makes  haste." 

"  I  thought  of  getting  Polly  Marner  to  come  and  cut  it  out. 
She's  swift  with  her  needle  " 

"  We  can't  cut  out  what  we  have  not,  though  we  are  often  cut 
out  of  what  we  most  desire.  Shall  I  tell  you  the  sort  of  gown 
I  would  like  to  wear  for  my  wedding  ?  " 

"  Oh,  dear  !  as  if  liking  would  bring  it !  " 

"  Mother,  what  sort  of  a  dress  did  you  wear  when  you  mar 
ried  father  ?  " 


70  "  The  Devil  Behaves  to  Us  even  as  He  Finds  Us." 

"  I  had  a  white  silk — a  pretty  dress  it  was.  I  dyed  it  and 
wore  it  out  years  ago." 

"  I  am  glad  I  cannot  have  a  white  silk,  then.  You've  had  a 
hard  life,  mother  ;  a  hard  husband,  an  overbearing,  selfish  tyrant 
to  you  and  to  us  all.  I  cannot  be  much  worse  off  than  you 
have  been.  Don't  look  so  scared ;  don't  reprove  me.  I've 
said  it  out  loud  now.  I've  felt  it  always.  You  cannot  suppose 
I  have  been  blind  and  deaf  and  insensible  all  these  years.  Oh, 
no !  I  learned  to  suffer  as  soon  as  I  began  to  breathe,  I  think, 
and  I've  had  no  chance  to  forget  the  trick  of  it." 

'*  Hush,  wicked  girl !  Hush,  I  say  !  "  cried  the  wife,  pale  and 
trembling.  "  Why,  what  is  going  to  happen  ?  I  feel  so  strange 
— as  if  you  was  elected  to  be  a  castaway.  Oh,  Perdita  !  I 
hope  you  have  not  sinned  away  the  day  of  grace." 

"  Which  particular  day  of  my  existence  was  that,  mother  ? 
Grace,  'tis  a  charming  sound,  and  means  much  the  same,  ^sup 
pose,  as  pity.  The  one  most  likely  to  show  pity  to  a  helpless 
child  he  has  full  power  over  would  be  her  father  ;  as  I  never 
found  any  grace  or  pity  in  father,  it  don't  seem  worth  while  to 
look  away  off  to  an  indifferent  essence  of  a  God  who  can't  be 
capable  of  pity,  since  he  made  beings  on  purpose  to  damn  them, 
when  he  was  able  to  ordain  happiness  just  as  easy." 

"  Shut  your  lips  instantly,  Perdita  !  Remember,  God  hears 
you.  He  does  pity  his  children,  /put  my  trust  in  him." 

"  He  ought  to  pity  you,  mother,  if  anybody.  Your  hard  times 
ought  to  be  made  up  to  you  some  time.  I  trust  they  may.  As 
for  father,  I  should  just  like  to  be  his  father  a  little  while,  that's 
all ! " 

"  Perdita,  beware  !  '  The  eye  that  despiseth  its  father,  the 
young  eagles  shall  pick  it  out,  and  the  young  ravens  shall  eat 
it.1 " 

"  I  don't  believe  that  story,  mother.  If  the  young  eagles 
take  the  trouble  to  pick  them  out,  they  are  great  fools  not  to 
swallow  them  themselves ;  that  is,  if  they  are  fond  of  eyes. 
There,  there,  mother  !  The  heavens  are  not  going  to  fall,  nor 


"  The  Devil  Behaves  to  Us  even  as  He  Finds  Us"  71 

the  earth  open  and  bury  me.  Remember  how  many  years  my 
tongue  has  been  tied,  and  you  cannot  wonder  if  it  runs  riot 
when  it  is  loosed.  I  wish  you  would  take  me  up-garret — not 
with  a  stick  in  your  hand,  as  father  used  to  do ;  but  with  a  key> 
and  let  me  look  into  that  old  iron-bound  trunk  that  has  got  a 
till  to  it.  It  is  full  of  the  things  you  had  when  you  was  a  girl, 
which  were  too  fine  for  a  poor  minister's  wife,  and  had  to  be 
put  out  of  sight  to  save  scandal  in  the  congregation.  Aunt 
Prudence  showed  them  to  me  when  I  was  a  child,  and  told  me 
that  was  why  they  were  shut  up  there.  I  never  forgot  it.  You 
wore  them,  I  know,  before  you  took  up  with  father,  when  you 
was  a  gay  young  lady  with  lovers.  What  a  pity  you  hadn't  ac 
cepted  one  of  them  !  My  father's  money  did  not  buy  any  of 
the  nice,  costly  fabrics.  You  never  wore  them  in  his  company. 
There's  where  I  want  to  look  to  find  the  dress  which  I  will 
wear." 

"  Mercy  on  me  !     Prudence  did  very  wrong." 

"  But  what  she  said  was  true?" 

"  Yes,  all  true.  I  went  to  New  Orleans  and  spent  the  win 
ter — a  gay  winter,  which  seems  like  an  impossible  dream,  it  was 
so  filled  with  worldly  pleasure.  I  had  grace  given  me  to  choose 
the  better  part,  which  can  ne'er  be  taken  from  me." 

"  You  mean  father,  perhaps,"  said  Perdita,  scornfully. 

i;  Xo,  my  child  ;  I  mean  religion.     I  took  up  my  cross." 

"  I  should  say  so,  and  cross  enough  he  has  been.  A  bear  is 
amiability  itself  compared  to  him,"  muttered  the  girl,  looking 
curiously  at  the  faded  woman,  who  was  rocking  herself  to  and 
fro,  and  fingering  the  bills  on  her  knee  with  trembling  flutter. 
She  was  trying  to  muster  courage  to  say  something  which  she 
felt  would  be  ill  received  by  the  daughter  who  had  so  suddenly 
found  her  tongue  and  used  it  so  brashly. 

"  Perdita,  stay  a  second,  child.  I  want  to  mention  to  you — • 
you  can  have  a  beautiful  gown,  if  you  will  consent  to  take  it." 

"  How,  mother  ?  "  asked  the  girl,  wheeling  about  with  her 
head  up  and  her  eyes  flashing  ;  "  tell  me  how." 


72    "  The  Devil  Behaves  to  Us  even  as  He  Finds  Us." 

"  Mrs.  Slaughton  appeared  ;  she  proposed,  she  u>kcd  me " 

Poor  crushed  creature  !  she  could  get  no  farther.  Sh<- 
almost  as  afraid  of  her  child  to-day  as  she  habitually  w;is  of  her 
husband.  The  child,  too,  who  had  been  so  pas>ive  and  obedi 
ent  !  She  could  scarcely  credit  her  senses,  there  was  so  remark 
able  a  change  in  her  every  way — words,  looks,  and  actions — all 
strange. 

"  You  refused,  mother ;  of  course  you  refused.  Say  yes. 
Say  yes  quickly,  or  I " 

"  Yes,  yes,  Perdita.  I  did  put  aside  the  offer,  though  I  don't 
know  what  is  to  be  done.  Only  ten  dollars.  I  can't  raise  any 
more.  I've  nothing  to  sell " 

"  Not  even  your  child  !  You  are  ready  to  give  her  away. 
But  one  humiliation  is  spared  me — I'd  go  in  such  rags  as 
served  Patient  Griselda,  before  I  would  put  on  a  thread  of 
theirs.  I  thank  you  for  saying  NO.  Come  quickly  now,  and 
fetch  your  key." 

Perdita  ran  swiftly  up  the  garret-stairs,  and  when  the  old  lady 
came  panting  after  her,  she  found  her  seated  on  the  floor  before 
the  great  chest,  leaning  her  chin  in  her  hand,  buried  in  thought. 
After  the  lid  was  lifted,  she  silently  watched  her  turning  over 
the  relics  of  her  own  by-gone  pleasures,  with  a  strange  throb  of 
pain  in  her  heart.  Pretty  Violet  Wemple  had  been  so  gay 
in  those  days !  It  seemed  a  pity  to  think  about  it,  now  that 
Violet  Hethwaite  had  forgotten  how  to  be  blithe — a  mockery 
almost  of  her  weary  age  and  heavy  burdens. 

Nothing  was  left  which  could  be  altered  or  any  way  suited 
to  her  changed  estate.  There  were  laces,  ball-dresses,  tumbled 
flowers.  There  was  a  spencer  of  amber  satin  trimmed  with 
feather  bands,  but  the  moth  had  corrupted  the  plumes  and  the 
fabric  was  faded  and  stained.  Violet  \VempIe  had  eaten  ices  in 
that  garment  at  the  planters'  ball  ;  and  a  bashful  young  fellow, 
who  trembled  at  sight  of  her,  he  worshipped  her  so,  had  spilled 
a  whole  saucerful  into  her  lap,  and  been  so  overwhelmed  with 
mortification  at  his  awkwardness,  that  she  had  been  fain  to 


"  The  Devil  Behaves  to  Us  even  as  He  Finds  Us"  73 

comfort  him,  and  so  had  made  matters  worse,  by  being  obliged 
to  refuse  to  marry  him.  Cruel  Violet  Wemple  !  There  was  a 
pelisse  of  quilted  silk,  dark  red  and  heavy,  which  would  not 
bear  dyeing.  That  had  also  a  history.  There  were  gauzy  fabrics, 
such  as  suit' the  tropics. 

"  There,  mother  !  I  knew  I  could  find  my  need,"  exclaimed 
Perdita,  pulling  out  a  white  muslin  dotted  all  over  with  crimson 
rose-buds  embroidered  in  silk  floss.  It  was  a  pretty,  dainty 
robe  ;  scanty,  simple,  and  as  quiet  and  quaint  as  it  could  possi 
bly  be.  "  Now  let  me  try  it  on." 

""Hut  you  can't  wear  that  old-fashioned  thing,  and  there's  not 
a  piece  to  alter  it  with." 

"  I  will  wear  it  as  my  mother  wore  it  when  she  was  my  age. 
See  how  it  fits  me  !  There  !  look  close.  Am  I  not  like  the 
girl  who  had  lovers,  who  went  to  races,  who  sat  in  her  box  at 
the  opera,  who  danced  the  stars  out  and  saw  the  day  dawn 
before  she  had  enough  of  the  pleasure  ?  " 

"  Oh,  deary  me !  What  dreadful  talk  !  Where  did  you  get 
it  ?  "  exclaimed  the  poor  woman,  who  felt  as  guilty  as  a  crim 
inal.  "  It  was  so  long  ago,  such  a  dreary  while  back,  it  don't 
seem  as  if  it  ever  was.  I  have  repented  since  then." 

"  Yes,  I  believe  you — in  dust  and  ashes,"  thought  Perdita, 
looking  askance  at  her  mother,  who  went  away  and  sat  down 
on  an  old  chest  and  wept  silently,  covering  her  face  with  her 
thin,  hard  hands,  spoilt  out  of  all  their  symmetry  by  years  of 
rough  usage  among  coarse  household  labors. 

While  the  daughter  lost  herself  in  strange  musings,  the  worn 
wife's  memory  strayed  unbidden  among  the  circumstances  of 
her  youth.  The  tender  petting  of  her  parents,  the  multiform 
kindness  of  her  friends  ;  the  sweet,  innocent  enjoyments  of  the 
old  days  ;  the  kisses  of  girl-companions,  the  fond  hugs  and 
hearty  caresses  of  her  schoolfellows ;  and  farther  on,  the  gay 
scenes  from  which  she  had  so  hopefully  turned  to  a  life  full  of 
promise  with  one,  forsaking  the  many. 

She  lifted  her  eyes  to  Perdita,  who  stood  ertct,  proud,  clefi- 
4 


74  "  The  Devil  Behaves  to  Us  even  as  He  Finds  Us" 

ant,  gazing  off  into  space,  already  so  far  from  her  monotonous 
home  ex|>eriences,  from  the  customs  and  manners  she  had  been 
reared  into  ;  so  unlike  the  silent,  uncomplaining  machine  her 
father's  training  had  striven  to  make  her.  The  swift  retrospect 
poor  Mrs.  Hethwaite  had  just  indulged  in  made  her  feel  with 
bitterness  how  happy  she  might  have  been  if  she  could  have 
been  allowed  to  let  her  tenderness  bubble  and  play  around  her 
family.  She  had  been  rebuked  and  reproved  for  every  such 
outgo.  "  Bestow  not  so  much  love  on  the  child  which  may  be 
dead  to-morrow — taken  away  to  punish  you  for  your  idolatry," 
had  her  husband  said  when  he  caught  her  caressing  her  baby. 
"  God  is  a  jealous  God  ;  fear  and  tremble  before  him." 

She  had  been  coerced  and  commanded  before  them,  as  they 
grew  up,  till  she  learned  to  submit  to  everything,  if  she  might 
so  avoid  daily  mortification  ;  and  she  bent  her  will,  lost  it  al 
most,  dumbly  thankful  to  escape  harshness  for  herself  as  well 
as  for  them. 

"Mother,  don't  cry!"  said  Perdita,  swiftly  turning  towards 
the  drooping  figure.  The  soft  touch  which  she  laid  on  the  bent 
shoulder,  well  used  to  stoop  under  heavy  burdens,  was  so  unu 
sual  and  so  unexpected,  that  the  poor  wife  quivered  and  trem 
bled,  and  could  not  at  first  look  up  into  her  daughter's  eyes. 
"Don't  cry,  I  did  not  mean  to  hurt  you.  I  feel  everything  so 
strange  that  my  world  might  easily  return  to  chaos.  My  speech 
was  too  rude  and  fierce.  I  will  not  offend  again.  Will  you 
forgive  me,  mother?" 

She  had  never  kissed  either  parent,  or  been  kissed  by  them, 
and  it  did  not  occur  to  her  that  such  a  caress  was  possible. 
Absolute  astonishment  took  possession  of  her  when  the  crushed, 
faded  woman  rose  and  fluttered  up  to  her,  and  throwing  her 
lean  arms  around  her  neck,  pressed  her  in  a  close  embrace. 

"  God  bless  you,  my  daughter !  Your  life  cannot  be  a 
greater  failure  than  mine  has  been.  God  in  Heaven  bless  and 
help  you  ! " 

Peidita's  cheek  burned  with  the  kiss  her  mother  had  left  there, 


The  NigJit  Before  the  Wedding. 


75 


even  after  she  was  shut  up  in  her  room,  among  her  reflections. 
How  mixed,  tumultuous,  and  chaotic  they  were,  I  cannot  tell 
you,  or  what  resolutions  and  purposes  she  had  evolved  from 
them  when  she  put  them  aside  and  went  down  stairs  to  her 
daily  round  of  multiform  occupations. 


CHAPTER  IX. 


THE    NIGHT   BEFORE   THE    WEDDING. 


HE  lessons  were  recited  for  the  last  time 
before  the  great  event  in  the  Hethwaite 
family,  and  to  very  little  good,  notwith 
standing   the   sure-coming    examination, 
when   poor   scholarship   was    certain    to 
suffer  its  penalty.     All  the  young  heads 
were  full  of  the  grand  doings  of  the  mor-1 
row,  and  it  proved  how  pinched  and  par 
simonious  had  been  their  rearing,  when  so  much  of  their  talk 
ran  on  the  good  things  they  expected  to  get  to  eat 

Malcolm  had  gone  to  bed,  tired  out  with  his  half-holiday  of 
bean-threshing  in  the  barn  (he  had  been  ordered  to  do  all  his 
lessons  in  the  morning  so  as  to  make  time  for  the  recreation), 
and  he  was  sound  asleep,  dreaming  that  he  had  a  beautiful 
pony  of  his  own  ;  and  he  had  not  yet  reached  the  part  of  the 
vision  where  the  animal  was  taken  away  from  him  with  a 
high  hand  by  his  father,  which  would  have  been  a  natural  sequel 
if  he  had  followed  his  dream  far  enough,  when  he  was  aroused 
by  a  thundering  racket,  which  brought  him  up  wide  awake,  still 
weary,  and  possessed  with  the  unwelcome  idea  that  morning 
had  dawned  before  he  was  half  rested.  It  was  his  father,  who 


76  The  Night  Before  the  Wedding. 

rapped  on  the  staircase  with  his  cane,  and  shouted  to  him  to 
come  down  directly.  The  clatter  disturbed  little  Hetty,  setting 
her  into  a  fit  of  nervous  trembling  and  weeping,  which  the 
mother  surreptitiously  hushed  for  fear  the  autocrat  might  hear 
her,  and  come  up  and  hush  her  after  his  own  pleasant  fashion. 

While  the  Parson  had  sat  toasting  his  feet  before  the  embers, 
he  had  espied  his  high-lows  in  the  corner,  having  on  them 
"very  much  land,"  as  the  Dutchman  said  of  his  muddy  shoes. 
Now,  he  had  ordered  the  lad  to  clean  his  high-lows  before  he 
retired,  which  order  had  been  neglected  in  the  stress  of  the 
afternoon  work.  He  very  properly  required  the  culprit  to  dress 
and  appear  before  him  armed  and  equipped  with  brush  and 
blacking ;  and  he  also  rated  him  soundly  while  he  did  the  job. 

Malcolm  scrubbed  away,  and  his  face  scowled  with  the 
rebellious  anger  he  was  full  of  to  overflowing.  He  also  mut 
tered  and  "slatted  things"  a  good  deal.  His  improper  beha 
vior  earned  him  a  profuse  allowance  of  cuffs  and  blows,  and 
promises  of  a  "  sound  flogging  "  the  next  time  he  was  caught 
napping,  and  his  "  chores  "  not  done. 

His  duty  to  his  son  thus  well  performed,  the  old  gentleman 
retired,  and  the  lad  crept  back  to  his  bed,  but  I  am  afraid  he 
did  not  say  any  prayers  for  his  father  after  he  turned  in. 

Teddy  and  Perdita,  who  had  been  witnesses  of  this  highly 
proper  exercise  of  parental  dominion,  and  had  exchanged  sig 
nificant  looks,  were  left  alone  at  last,  being  permitted  this  once 
to  sit  out  their  elders  and  betters,  because  of  domestic  neces 
sity  in  the  shape  of  apples  to  pare  for  the  weekly  pies.  They 
were  silent  for  a  long  time,  sharing  the  labor,  and  each  busy 
with  troublesome  thoughts. 

"  It  is  a  cruel  thing  for  you,  this  marriage,"  said  Teddy  at 
last.  "  You  have  hindered  me  from  saying  my  mind,  but  I  knew 
it  would  have  to  come  out." 

"  No,  Teddy,  not  more  cruel  than  the  lives  I  leave  behind 
me.  Poor  Malcolm  is  in  a  sweet  state  to  get  refreshing  repose 
and  comforting  dreams,  is  he  not?  I  know  right  well  t  .jre 


The  Night  Before  the  Wedding.  77 

have  been  sore  hearts  under  this  roof  all  these  years,  and  I  be 
gin  to  see  things  very  clearly.  Don't  trouble  about  me,  Teddy ; 
remember,  there  will  be  one  less  mouth  to  fill,  a  smaller 
amount  of  codfish  to  buy.  I  have  a  healthy  appetite,  you 
know.  I  Want  to  eat  a  great  deal ;  I  love  meat." 

She  smiled  while  she  talked,  but  the  youngster's  eyes  filled 
with  tears. 

"  Yes,  I  hope  and  expect,"  she  went  on,  "  that  my  going  to 
that  place  will  be  better  for  you  all.  I  can  speak  my  mind  to 
father  when  I  am  independent  of  him,  and  you  will  find  he  will 
listen  to  me.  I  look  to  set  you  loose  from  the  farm  drudgery, 
and  to  place  you  in  the  good  life  you  dream  of.  I  don't  know 
how  it  is  to  be  done,  but  I  shall  be  able  to  find  out.  When 
one  has  the  will,  one  can  do  much,  I  am  quite  sure,  if  father  is 
not  around  to  sit  down  on  everything.  And.  Teddy,  do  you 
realize  it  ?  I  am  going  to  get  rid  of  father  !  Dolly  will  be  old 
enough  to  teach  a  school  next  year,  and  she'll  grow  steadier 
when  I'm  no  longer  here  to  mend  her  tatters  and  gloss  over 
her  scrapes.  Malcolm  will  be  ruined  with  a  little  more  of  the 
treatment  he  has  to  bear.  I  mean  to  hunt  him  a  clerkship ;  I 
had  rather  he  were  apprenticed  to  any  honest  trade  than  sub 
ject  to  such  indignities  as  he  has  just  gone  through.  He  is 
bound  to  run  away,  or  sink  into  a  sneak  before  long.  Billy 
ought  to  be  among  lads  of  his  age,  having  good  times,  and  I 
intend  he  shall  be." 

"  But  you  think  all  for  the  others,  and  not  a  mite  for  your 
self,"  said  Teddy,  mournfully  studying  her  face  and  trying  to 
guess  the  source  of  its  strange  expression. 

"  No  need  for  that,  /have  been  thought  for  by  others,"  ic- 
plied  Perdita  bitterly.  "  I  am  not  such  a  machine  as  they 
suppose  me.  I  might  have  rebelled,  if  I  had  not  seen  some 
thing  ahead  which  I  meant  to  accomplish." 

"  But  Mr.  Slaughton  must  be  a  queer  man.  He  must  know 
you  do  not  in  the  least  care  for  him." 

"  Care  for  him  !  why  should  I  ?     He  wants  a  housekeeper, 


78  The  Night  Before  the  Wedding. 

a  woman   to  pour  his   tea   and  wait  on  his  friends,  and  be  a 
governess  to  those  Vance  children.    All  that  has  been  carefully 
:th  by  his   mother.     I   am  well  trained   as   teacher,  you 
know,  and  really,  it  would  have  astonished  you  to  hear  how 
:ions  have  been  a>ked  and  answered  as  to  my  ability 
in  cooking,  clear-starching,  brewing,   making  beds,   sweeping 
rooms,  and  so  on.     If  I  wanted    to  find  out  a  servant's  capa 
cities,  I  should  know  exactly  what  to  demand." 

>  a  burning  shame  !  If  I  had  a  daughter,  I  would  not 
let  her  go  to  any  man's  house  on  such  terms.  I  wonder  father 
don't  forbid  it." 

•rbid  it,  Teddy  !  You  should  have  heard  the  voice  in 
which  he  expounded  his  sovereign  will  and  pleasure.  If  I  had 
stood  a  slave  in  the  market,  and  he  the  (ireat  Mogul,  he  could 
not  have  assumed  a  more  despotic  demeanor.  Oh,  no  ;  father 
has  been  all  his  life  writing  sermons  to  prove  foreordination 
and  predestination  ;  but  I  notice  he  don't  scruple  to  give  events 
a  push  to  speed  them  to  his  liking,  when  he  sees  a  good  place 
to  get  hold.  Outside  my  teaching,  he  will  be  only  too  glad  to 
be  quit  of  me.  It  does  not  occur  to  him  that  I  lighten  mother's 
burdens;  he  n<  ;ns  to  think  she  bears  any.  He  must 

see,  if  he  has   half  sense,  that  I  should  get   up  some  day  and 
throw  off  the  hard  yoke  he  has  pressed  upon  my  neck." 

••  Mother  ought  to  know  better,  anyhow  !  Women    should 
stand  up  for  each  other." 

•or  mother !  her  life  is  all  such  hard  lines,  she  never 
learned  to  stand  up  for  herself.  If  she  had,  we  nii-ht  hav< 
better  times.  She  feels  glad  to  think  I  shall  be  rich  and  grand, 
and  I  can't  help  thinking  she  is  thankful  for  the  chance  to  put 
me  outside  of  this  house,  when  we  have  witnessed  her  thousand 
humiliations.  Teddy,  mother  kissed  me  yesterday ! " 

"  Kissed  you,  Perdita  !  how«did  it  feel  ?     A  mother-kiss  ! 

"  It  burns  on  my  cheek,  right  there,  Teddy  !     If  I  had  been 
ever  so  rebellious  up  to  that  instant,  I  would  not  have 
another  word  of  opposition — no,   not  for  the  world.     It  felt 


The  Night  Before  the  Wedding.  79 

like  the  seal  of  my  freedom.  Oh,  yes,  she  talks  all  the  while 
about  the  better  days  in  store  for  me.  I  cannot  find  the  heart 
to  interrupt  her.  I  can't  help  thinking  what  a  good  life  Violet 
Wemple  had  a  right  to,  if  only  she  had  had  the  luck  to  marry  a 
man,  and  had  never  set  eyes  on  father !  " 

u  But  father  is  not  cruel  to  mother,"  said  Teddy  reflecting. 
He  was  retrospectively  considering,  and  failed  to  find  the 
causes  of  intense  grievance  which  inflamed  his  sister's  mind. 

"  I  don't  know  what  you  call  cruel,  /call  it  cruel  to  make 
a  drudging  slave  of  a  woman,  never  giving  her  a  kind  word,  nor 
a  tender  look  for  all  her  hardships ;  to  make  her  feed  a  lot  of 
children  on  nothing ;  to  kill  herself  mending  old  clothes,  and 
scrubbing  bare  floors,  while  he  is  shut  up  scribbling  away  at 
what  he  calls  sermons,  that  are  only  fit  to  light  the  fire  with 
when  they  are  done.  If  /was  a  man,  and  had  picked  out 
a  woman  and  promised  to  cherish  her,  I'd  take  off  my  coat 
and  go  to  work,  and  I'd  earn  white  bread  for  her  to  eat.  I 
wouldn't  starve  her  on  rye  stuff  not  fit  for  pigs,  and  codfish ; 
and  I'd  leave  off  scribbling  till  I  had  won  the  right  to  amuse 
myself.  I  wouldn't  have  a  family  if  I  was  not  man  enough  to 
make  life  endurable  for  them.  Owner  of  all  things,  indeed ! 
we  might  have  decent  clothes,  at  least,  if  he  had  had  the  cour 
age  of  a  flea  !  " 

"  Perdita,  I  think  the  man  who  has  picked  you  out  had  best 
be  smart." 

"  1  have  not  been  picked  out  by  a  man,  Teddy.  I  have 
been  bargained  for  by  a  couple  of  old  women." 

"  I  don't  like  to  hear  you  talk  so.  You  don't  seem  like 
yourself." 

"  I  am  telling  out  loud  what  has  been  fretting  and  angering 
me,  all  these  years,  ever  since  I  was  old  enough  to  see  the 
meaning  of  things.  I  say  father  is  a  coward,  afraid  to  face  the 
world  ;  he's  lazy  !  he's  not  willing  to  work  with  his  hands  ;  he  is 
a  sneak,  willing  to  owe  his  comforts  to  the  hardships  and  self- 
denials  of  a  frail  woman.  I  despise  father !  Yes,  I  despise 


8o  The  Night  Before  the  Wedding. 

him  !  I  don't  see  any  single  trait  in  him  to  respect  or  admire. 
He  never  loved  one  of  us  ;  he  never  did  anything  to  make  us 
happy  ;  and  he  thinks  we  ought  to  be  very  grateful  to  him  for 
our  existence  !  a  tremendous  blessing  to  be  born  into 
his  house,  to  be  sure  !  Why,  he  whippe  1  you  with  a  raw-hide 
not  five  years  ago,  as  no  man  ought  to  beat  a  dog,  anil  had 
family  prayers  after  he  got  through." 

"  So  he  did,  Perdita.  The  old  gentleman  has  a  heavy  hand 
with  a  stick.  I  remember  I  threw  up  my  arms  in  agony  ;  and 
he  thought  I  meant  rebellion,  and  he  did  lay  it  on.  He 
called  it  '  lacing  my  jacket !'  I  could  count  the  laces  when 
he  got  through.  But  I  don't  hold  malice  ;  his  intentions  were 
good.  Oh,  yes,  he  meant  well." 

"  He  meant  to  work  off  his  unpleasantness  on  a  defenceless 
boy  !  And  he  did  it,  because  there  was  nobody  to  prevent 
him.  Yes,  I  hate  father  !  I  am  glad  to  go  out  of  his  house  ; 
and  I'll  never  rest  till  I  set  the  others  free.  When  he  whips 
Betty,  I  feel  boiling  hot  all  over  :  I  could  tear  him  to  atoms ! 
It  makes  my  head  swim,  1  hate  him  so." 

"  Why,  Perdita,  how  you  look.  I  am  glad  you  don't  hate  me. 
You  are  too  hard  on  father.  He  is  a  just  man  ;  he  thinks  that 
is  the  way  to  bring  up  children.  The  fact  is  patent  to  my 
mind ;  he  does  by  us  as  he  was  done  by.  He  had  just  such 
hard  licks  as  he  gives  us  ;  he  believes  firmly  in  the  oil  of  birch 
for  dressing  down  young  hides." 

Teddy  laughed  ruefully.  "  I  won't  deny  he  is  severe.  I've 
felt  it  in  wheals  all  over  my  body.  I  seem  to  feel  them  now. 
Though  lost  to  sight,  to  memory  dear;  but  you  musn't  hate 
father,  Perdita  ;  think  how  much  he  knows  ;  what  a  linguist  he  - 
is  !  what  a  botanist !  there  isn't  a  plant  in  the  country  he  can't 
name  ;  and  what  a  thorough  grounding  he  has  given  us." 

"  Yes,  Teddy,  he  has  educated  our  heads  at  the  expense  of 
our  hearts.  And  do  you  know  where  he  got  all  his  books  ? 
He  bought  them  with  mother's  money,  which  she  was  so  weak  as 
to  give  up  to  him  as  soon  as  he  married  her.  And  she  packed 


The  Night  Before  the  Wedding.  81 

and  unpacked  his  library  every  move  they  made,  out  to  the 
Chocktaws  and  back  again  ;  and  that  is  all  the  good  she  ever 
got  out  of  the  little  bank  stock  her  father  left  to  her." 

"  But  what  good  we  have  got  out  of  the  volumes  !  If  we  had 
been  amused  and  petted,  do  you  suppose  we  should  have  ever 
learned  almost  by  heart  all  that  old  history  and  poetry,  and 
cosmical  lore  that  we  used  to  dive  into  ?  Our  hearts  are  all 
right,  as  witness  how  you,  our  elder,  are  planning  and  hoping 
for  us,  and  forgetting  herself." 

"  Yours  is,  anyhow,  Teddy.  I  don't  know  just  now  as  I  have 
any,  I  feel  so  disturbed  and  unmoored.  You  see  I  am  not  able 
to  help  going  over  my  child-life  here  under  this  old  roof,  as  I 
am  about  to  turn  my  back  on  it,  and  I  get  a  little  wrathy  think 
ing  over  the  dreary  grind  it  has  been  :  when  we  might  just  as 
well  have  had  good  times.  It  is  not  the  poverty,  Teddy  ;  a 
dinner  of  herbs,  or  codfish,  where  love  is  allowed  to  show  it 
self,  might  be  the  dearest,  pleasantest  meal  in  the  world. 
There,  cheer  up,  good  Teddy ;  don't  look  as  if  all  things  were 
going  back  to  chaos,  as  if  the  last  link  was  broken  that  bound 
me  to  thee  ;  I  am  more  closely  linked  to  the  brothers  and  sis 
ters  I  am  going  to  leave,  than  ever  before.  Good-night,  Teddy. 
What  a  bright  yellow  moon  !  how  the  slanting  beams  glint  and 
gleam  among  those  noble  oaks,  mighty  and  broad-armed, 
making  their  dark  crimson  leaves  shine  like  gold.  'Tis  a  grand 
old  grove.  Mother  says  the  twentieth  of  September  is  a  good 
day  to  be  married  on.  Don't  you  think  great  Sol  ought  to 
pour  down  his  glory  to-morrow,  if  there's  any  truth  in  the  old 
saying,  "  Blessed  is  the  bride  whom  the  sun  shines  on  "  ?  I 
am  a  unique  sort  of  bride,  about  to  be  united  to  a  unique  sort 
of  suitor  in  holy  matrimony,  by  a  most  unique  priest.  I  won 
der  how  I  shall  feel  to  be  blessed  by  father,  and  married  to  the 
man  of  his  choice." 

"  I  have  a  great  mind  to  cry,  Perdita,  to  hear  you  run  on  so," 
said  Teddy,  wiping  his  eyes. 

"Oh,  no,  good  brother,  don't  cry.     Laugh,  as  I  do." 
4* 


82 


Malcolm's  Dancing  Bear. 


CHAPTER  X. 

MALCOLM'S  DANCING  BEAR. 


T  was  indeed  a  bright  and  beautiful  day. 
Whatever  benison  there  might  be  in  joy 
ous  sunshine,  which  kindled  the  ripening 
foliage  into  flame  and  bathed  the  old  par 
sonage  in  a  flood  of  effulgence,  was  the 
glorification  of  Perdita  Hethwaite's  bri 
dal  morning. 

The  mother  and  wife  was  out  of  favor.  She  had  been  dis 
covered  by  her  lord  and  master  hiding  on  the  cellar  stairs,  bit 
terly  weeping,  and  had  been  rated  for  her  weak,  silly  behavior, 
and  told  that  if  it  had  been  Dolly  he  had  caught  acting  so,  he 
would  have  severely  punished  her. 

She  had  not  the  heart  to  sit  at  the  head  of  her  table  when  the 
morning  meal  was  ready,  and  had  absented  herself  from  that 
family  reunion,  remaining  absent  till  summoned  by  Billy. 
"  Father  says  come  to  breakfast,  mother." 
"Tell  him  I  don't  want  any,  Billy." 

Presently  the  boy  returned.  "  Father  says  he  shan't  have 
prayers  till  you've  eaten  your  breakfast." 

The  poor  lady  knew  what  that  meant,  and  hastily  composing 
her  features,  she  appeared  in  the  room,  sitting  down  on  the 
nearest  chair,  like  a  culprit, 

"  Mrs.  Hethwaite,  you  have  eaten  no  breakfast,"  announced 
the  Parson  in  a  pompous  voice,  gripping  and  ungripping  his 
great,  horny  hands,  and  grimacing  horribly  as  he  surveyed  her. 
"  I  do  not  want  any." 

"  I  desire  you  to  partake,  Mrs.  Hethwaite.  I  shall  not  pro 
ceed  with  family  worship  till  you  do." 

The  wife  looked  at  him  an  instant,  and  then  cast  her  eyes 


Malcolm's  Dancing  Bear.  83 

down.  She  knew  he  was  quite  obstinate  enough  to  keep  his 
word ;  she  had  been  humiliated  and  coerced  for  years  and  years, 
and  was'  used  to  it ;  but  somehow  it  came  hard  on  this  day, 
when  her  eldest-born  was  to  be  taken  away  from  her,  and  a 
dreary  loneliness  of  heart  mingled  with  her  mortification. 
She  rose  and  stepped  to  the  table  and  ate,  standing,  a  few 
mouthfuls — enough  to  give  sign  and  token  of  obedience ;  and, 
with  her  children's  eyes  upon  her,  she  retreated  to  her  corner 
and  sat  down  and  folded  her  arms,  while  the  Parson  read 
the  daily  chapter.  And  then  they  all  sang  at  the  hymn,  and 
knelt  for  the  prayer  ;  and  then  they  separated,  after  this  fresh 
lesson  to  the  young  people  on  the  value  their  father  set  on  his 
wife,  and  also  on  himself. 

Perdita  went  to  the  door  and  looked  out  over  the  hills  glow 
ing  and  flushing  in  the  beauteous  sunshine. 

"  '  He  maketh  the  sun  shine  on  the  just  and  the  unjust,'  so 
there  is  no  reason  why  this  house  should  be  in  darkness,"  said 
she  aloud. 

"  What  are  you  saying  ?"  asked  her  father. 

"  I  was  drawing  a  conclusion  from  the  lesson  we  got  this 
morning ;  and  I  am  going  upstairs  now  to  say  a  private  prayer 
to  follow  yours  that  the  year  of  jubilee  may  come  when  all  the 
oppressed  shall  go  free." 

She  did  not  wait  to  be  questioned  further ;  and  though  the 
Parson  was  too  much  bound  up  in  his  own  importance,  and  too 
little  in  the  habit  of  troubling  himself  about  his  children's 
thoughts  or  feelings  to  take  the  full  weight  of  her  thrust,  he  was 
astonished  and  displeased  at  her  tone  and  attitude,  and  looked 
after  her  and  snorted,  with  his  mouth  open  and  his  thick  under- 
lip  hanging,  till  she  was  out  of  sight. 

Dolly  and  Malcolm  had  gathered  a  host  of  gay  leaves,  with 
which  they  planned  to  build  a  nuptial  bower  in  the  best  room, 
after  the  pattern  of  one  the  girl  had  found  described  in  a  novel 
which  she  had  borrowed  from  Almira  Pratt,  and  kept  hidden 
under  her  pillow  for  secret  devourance. 


84  Malcolme's  Dancing  Bear. 

Dolly  did  a  wicked  thing,  of  course,  to  disobey  her  good 
papa,  and  enjoy  slyly  such  forbidden  pleasures,  and  her 
naughtiness  did  not  end  there  either,  because  she  sat  demurely 
by  and  heard  her  father  tell  a  brother  clergyman  that  not  one 
of  his  children  had  ever  read  a  romance,  and  she  did  not  con 
tradict  his  statement,  although  she  had  that  very  day  finished  a 
third  perusal  of  "  The  Children  of  the  Abbey,"  and  had  on  hand 
two  more  she  was  longing  to  get  at — "Thaddeus  of  Warsaw" 
and  the  "Three  Spaniards" 

The  mother  had  not  given  them  permission  to  fashion  the 
bower,  neither  did  she  tell  them  they  might  peruse  fiction  ;  but 
she  passively  allowed  them  to  go  on,  saying  nothing ;  and  in 
fact  she  had  stealthily  peeped  at  the  pretty  bell  cunningly 
made  of  moss  and  white  feverfew,  and  admired  it  very  much. 

The  best  part  of  the  structure  was  completed  before  the 
Parson  discovered  what  they  were  doing,  having  gone  to  his 
study  after  Perdita  left  him,  and  commenced  a  sermon  sug 
gested  by  the  text  she  had  uttered  in  his  hearing,  which  clearly 
proved  that  the  more  rain  there  was  wasted  on  the  unjust  in 
this  life,  the  less  refreshing  coolness  they  would  get  in  the 
next. 

Whether  it  was  the  sound  of  their  hammers  and  voices,  or  the 
suspicion  of  a  good  time  somewhere  on  the  premises  which  he 
had  not  sanctioned,  something  disturbed  the  dreary  flow  of  his 
dreary  arguments,  and  he  felt  moved  to  descend  and  investi 
gate. 

"  A  pretty  piece  of  work,  truly !  "  exclaimed  he  after  a  sur 
vey  of  the  leafy  arbor.  "  What  sort  of  a  place  do  I  inhabit  ? 
Is  it  Vanity  Fair,  or  the  home  of  a  sober  Christian  minister  ? 
Pray  let  me  know  what  this  rubbishing  fuss  is  all  about." 

'•  We  thought  we  could  make  a  pleasant  look  for  Perdita' s 
wedding,  father,"  said  Dolly  in  the  humble  drawl  with  which 
the  Hethwaites  were  apt  to  speak  to  the  paterfamilias.  "It 
don't  cost  anything,"  she  added,  thinking  this  a  clinching  argu 
ment 


Malcolm's  Dancing  Bear.  8  5 

"  Did  your  mother  give  you  leave  to  commit  this  folly  ?  " 
"  No,  sir  !  "  chorussed  both  hurriedly,  and  the  haste  they  showed 
was  a  sorry  comment  on  his  husbandhood. 

"  I  am  glad  to  hear  it !  Now  pull  down  the  stuff,  and  throw 
it  out  on  the  dirt-heap.  My  daughter  will  take  upon  her  the 
marriage  vows  as  befits  the  solemn  promises  she  will  make 
before  her  God,  and  not  with  vain  shows  and  profane  music, 
like  a  child  of  Belial.  Make  haste,  I  say  !  Fall  to,  both  of 
you  !  and  when  next  you  desire  to  erect  a  booth  fit  for  monkeys 
or  dancing  bears,  you  had  better  get  my  permission  first." 

Shamefaced  and  disheartened,  the  young  workers  despoiled 
their  temple  under  his  severe  scrutiny,  which  bored  into  them 
till  the  last  bright  branch  was  dragged  away,  and  every  stray 
leaf  swept  out  of  sight,  when  the  Parson  departed  with  his 
heavy  clumpy  tread.  It  was  lucky  for  them  that  he  did  not  look 
behind  him  at  their  rebellious  faces,  nor  hear  their  wrathful 
mutterings. 

"  Dancing  bears  !  "  growled  Malcolm.  "  I  know  one  old 
bear  I'd  like  mighty  well  to  make  dance  on  a  hot  plate." 

Their  defeat  and  drooping  downheartedness  so  dampened 
the  spirits  of  the  young  ones,  that  they  could  hardly  for  a  time 
admire  the  beautiful  cakes  which  Mrs.  Slaughton  had  sent 
do\vn,  nor  the  ham,  nor  the  jellies. 

As  for  the  Parson,  he  strided  about  in  his  black  clothes 
when  the  few  guests  were  arrived,  and  "bow-wowed"  at  them 
and  looked  askance  at  everybody,  as  f  somehow  his  great 
possessions  had  got  distributed  among  them  by  mistake,  and 
he  was  trying  to  identify  his  property. 

He  arranged  the  little  table  at  one  end  of  the  room,  with  the 
Bible  and  hymn-book  atop  of  it  as  if  there  was  going  to  be  a 
funeral,  and  he  made  Perdita  get  ready  a  whole  hour  before  the 
time,  and  sit  down  in  front  of  it  as  if  she  was  the  corpse. 

Mrs.  Hethwaite,  in  her  best  gown,  looked  worried  and 
anxious,  and  her  worn  face  Hushed  as  she  walked  noiselessly 
here  and  there,  placing  and  replacing  the  chairs,  and  dusting 


86  Malcolm's  Dancing  Bear. 

the  furniture  ;  too  uneasy  to  sit  still,  too  flurried  to  converse 
with  the  friends.  The  corners  of  her  mouth  trembled,  and  she 
wiped  her  watery  eyes,  as  she  glanced  from  time  to  time  at  the 
man  who  had  promised  to  love  and  cherish  Violet  Wemple. 

Perhaps  she  was  thinking  of  the  breakfast  she  had  eaten  ; 
perhaps  she  was  recalling  her  own  wedding  with  the  young 
minister,  full  of  hope  and  strength,  and  of  how  he  had  said  and 
said  again  that  he  loved  her  above  all  things. 

That  was  the  man !  that  sour-faced  old  Parson,  stalking 
about  half  bent,  with  frowning  visage  cut  into  a  series  of  paren 
theses  which  enclosed  his  mouth  : 

He  did  not  look  any  more  like  her  lover  than  the  pinched, 
grizzled,  faded  creature  the  old  looking-glass  showed  her, 
looked  like  the  rosy  bride  he  took. 

She  felt  sorry  for  the  children  too,  who  had  all  been  called 
in  and  ordered  to  sit  down,  as  if  it  was  a  meeting.  She  wished 
they  could  have  had  a  frolic  out  of  the  wedding. 

She  looked  at  her  daughter  sitting  so  silent  and  still,  so  un 
interested  and  indifferent,  till  the  Parson  scolded  Betty  and 
bade  her  go  and  take  her  place  among  the  others,  and  not  be 
hanging  on  to  her  sister  like  a  silly  baby.  She  was  quiet  even 
then,  and  kept  her  eyes  on  the  floor  ;  but  the  mother  knew  a 
little  what  a  storm  was  raging  under  the  outward  calm.  She 
knew  it  by  the  anger  she  herself  felt  and  dared  not  show. 

She  heaved  a  deep  sigh.  What  if,  after  all,  the  girl  should 
be  worse  off  for  this  marriage  ?  Only  exchanging  one  tyrant  for 
another,  from  whom  there  could  be  no  escape  while  life  lasted. 
But  no  ;  all  her  unhappiness,  all  her  discomforts  had  been  born 
of  poverty.  If  her  husband  had  been  well  off  and  easy  in  his 
mind,  he  would  have  been  kind  and  indulgent,  so  she  believed, 
remembering  how  his  misfortunes  had  soured  and  changed 
him. 

Perdita  would  be  rich  and  have  enough  of  everything.  Com 
forting  her  poor  heart  with  this  certainty,  she  tried  to  be  brisk 
and  look  pleasant,  and  jerked  Dolly  by  the  shoulder,  bidding  her 


Looking  Ahead  with  a  Vengeance.  87 

sit  up   straight   and  not   make   an   ampersand  of  herself,  and 
added  : 

"  Try  to  behave  pretty,  and  may  be  your  turn  will  come 
some  day,  and  you'll  get  a  rich  husband  too  !  " 


CHAPTER  XL 


LOOKING  AHEAD   WITH   A  VENGEANCE. 


fR.   SLAUGHTON  did  not  arrive  at  the 
mansion  house  more  than  a  couple  of 
hours  before  the  time  fixed  for  the  cere 
mony.     In  fact,  an  anxious  thought  had 
flitted  through  the  dame's  mind — "what 
if  he  should  not  come  at  all  ?  "  and  she 
seized   on   him  almost   before  she  had 
made  him  welcome. 
"  Come  here,  my  son.     I  have  something  particular  to  say 
to  you." 

He  suffered  himself  to  be  led  by  the  arm  (Sam  was  so  easily 
led)  to  a  small  nook  over  the  dining-room — the  scene  of  his 
youthful  exploits  and  experiences  ;  and  as  he  went,  he  inly 
wondered  if  his  letter  had  after  all  taken  effect,  and  the  old 
lady  was  making  preparations  to  break  it  gently  to  him,  the 
contract  having  fallen  through. 

"  Samuel !  this  is  the  place  where  you  used  to  sleep.  I've 
come  up  here  many  a  night  to  tuck  you  into  bed  and  hear  your 
little  prayers,  and  you  used  to  fetch  in  every  living  thing  on 
the  farm  into  'em — Bose  and  the  steers  and  the  old  speckled 
hen.  You  was  a  real  kind-hearted  little  boy,  Sammy ;  and  if 
you  thought  I  felt  bad,  you'd  take  on  and  hug  and  kiss  me 


88  Looking  Ahead  with  a  Vengeance. 

I 

mighty  sweet  and  affectionate.     Now,  here  are  all  your  little 

toys  and  your  books  and  your  first  drawings.  I  kept  them 
every  one.  I've  swept  and  dusted  the  place  myself,  because  I 
could  not  bear  to  let  anybody  in  among  these  precious  things  ; 
and  I  used  to  visit  this  room  every  day  while  you  was  wander 
ing  around  the  world,  and  ask  God  to  take  care  of  you  and 
keep  you  out  of  temptation.  I  want  all  to  stay  just  as  it  is 
here,  till  little  Sammy  is  old  enough  to  have  it.  I  want  you 
to  bring  him  up  in  the  nurture  and  admonition  of  the  Lord — m 
the  faith  of  his  fathers.  Have  him  learn  his  catechism,  and 
'  Though  I  am  young,  a  little  one,'  and  all  the  pretty  hymns  you 
used  to  say  at  my  knee  ;  and  I  hope  his  hair  will  curl  as  yours 
did.  I  may  die  before  he  gets  to  understand  much — very 
likely  I  shall.  I  fully  expect  to — my  summons  may  come  any 
night ;  but  I  want  you  to  tell  Sammy  that  his  grandma  quilted 
this  spread,  and  braided  this  rug,  and  kept  all  these  things  to 
gether  on  purpose  for  him." 

The  dame  was  so  solemn  and  serious,  and  so  fully  occupied 
with  her  explanations  and  instructions,  that  her  son  could  not 
laugh  at  her,  nor  toss  back  any  of  the  teazing  speeches  which 
rose  to  his  lips. 

"  Mother,  why  will  you  talk  so  much  about  dying  ?  Such  a 
brisk,  lively  lady  !  You  are  likely  to  outlive  us  all,  Slowgo 
included.  Yes,  yes  !  you  will  be  too  many  for  everybody, 
years  to  come.  Why,  you  are  hardly  in  your  prime." 

"  This  is  a  beautiful  world,  Samuel,  and  there's  plenty  of 
work  to  keep  me  busy  as  long  as  it  is  allotted  for  me  to  stay  in 
it ;  but  I  felt  like  speaking  my  mind  about  little  Sammy  to-day, 
because  this  seems  to  be  the  proper  time.  I  have  finished 
now,  and  you  must  make  haste,  or  you  will  be  too  late  for  your 
own  wedding." 

"  Father  used  to  say,  '  Late  to  breakfast,  late  to  heaven,' 
when  I  did  not  get  up  in  time.  He  never  admonished  me 
about  this  other  affair." 

"Yes,  I  remember,  he  did  have  to  make  that  speech  pretty 


Looking  Ahead  with  a  Vengeance.  89 

often.  Men  don't  generally  want  much  hurrying  up  when 
about  to  approach  the  altar,  I  expect." 

Mr.  SLaughton  turned  and  glanced  at  her,  but  he  did  not 
speak  what  rose  to  his  lips,  she  looked  so  eager  and  expectant. 
He  went  to  his  room  and  locked  his  door,  and  proceeded  to 
the  business  of  dressing — thinking  about  his  mother,  and  his 
pictures  ;  anything  but  the  approaching  ceremony  of  which  he 
was  to  be  centre  figure,  and  which  he  desired  to  consider 
nothing  in  particular  to  him. 

His  room  was  well  stored  with  curious  and  rare  treasures, 
such  as  bachelors  are  apt  to  collect.  Elaborately  cut  meer 
schaums,  nargilehs,  cigar-holders,  cameos,  carved  work,  and 
canes.  On  a  hook  in  one  corner  hung  a  Sciote  dress,  and  over 
it  an  ancient  helmet.  A  Persian  rug,  hallowed  by  the  bended 
knees  of  devout  fire-worshippers,  lay  before  a  Turkish  divan. 
On  the  mantel  was  a  little  whitewood  model  of  the  Norwe 
gian  carriole  in  which  he  had  made  the  Ava  Saxa  journey  to  see 
the  midnight  sun,  and  beside  it  a  beautiful  cabinet  of  uncut 
gems.  Some  pictures  adorned  the  walls  ;  but  among  them  no 
women's  faces,  not  even  a  Magdalen. 

Mr.  Slaughton's  dressing-case  was  open  before  him — a  costly 
thing,  as  rich  and  complete  in  its  appointments  as  possible — 
the  gift  of  his  travelling  companion,  one  Chandos  Goldsmith, 
upon  whom  his  thoughts  had  been  much  running  since  the 
queer  complication  of  his  affairs.  "  What  would  Chandy  say  ?  " 
"  How  would  Chandy  look  at  such  and  such  epochs  of  the 
transaction  ?  "  being  questions  often  suggested  to  his  mind  ; 
and  the  mental  replies  which  presented  themselves,  as  based  on 
the  absent  gentleman's  character  and  habits,  caused  him  to 
smile  in  sympathy  with  the  broad  grin  he  seemed  to  see  on 
that  merry  face,  which  mirrored  mirth  so  readily.  Rather  grim, 
'tis  true,  the  smiles  became  on  Sam's  countenance  when  he 
took  in  the  fact  that  it  was  he  himself — Samuel  Slaughton  ! 
who  was  billed  to  play  the  fool  or  bridegroom  (synonymous 
terms  they  appeared  to  his  mind)  in  this  absurd  comedy  about  to 


9O  Looking  Ahead  with  a  Vengeance. 

be  put  before  a  select  and  appreciative  audience,  down  at  the 
old  parsonage. 

Mr.  Slaughton's  personal  appointments  were  of  the  very 
choicest ;  his  suspenders  of  embroidered  silk  were  held  to  their 
office  by  gold  buckles ;  his  sleeve-buttons  and  bosom  studs 
were  of  diamonds ;  two  neck-ties  lay  on  his  table — one  of 
creamy  white,  the  other  that  shade  of  rich  violet  which  the  lady 
he  loved  had  been  used  to  wear.  He  had  laid  them  out  for 
selection,  both  being  hues  he  was  accustomed  to  don  for  festive 
occasions,  and  his  eyes  rested  on  them  ever  and  anon  while  he 
stepped  about ;  and  as  they  did  so,  he  was  certainly  not  think 
ing  of  Perdita  Hethwaite.  His  stockings  were  of  silk,  as  was 
the  vest  on  the  bed,  and  the  black  suit  he  was  about  to  assume 
was  as  handsome  and  modish  as  possible. 

Mr.  Slaughton  had  a  hair-brush  in  each  hand.  The  handle 
of  one  was  ivory,  and  the  other  ebony  inlaid  with  pearl.  Judg 
ing  from  the  way  in  which  he  was  scrubbing  his  devoted  head 
with  them,  it  seemed  that  he  was  fighting  some  disagreeable 
subject  of  cogitation ;  and  when  he  paused  his  face  was  red, 
and  his  light  hair  was  tossed  every  which  way,  while  he  laid  his 
fists,  armed  with  the  brushes,  on  the  table  before  him,  and 
leaned  forward,  looking  attentively  at  them,  and  he  uttered  half 
aloud  what  seemed  the  focussed  result  of  his  physical  and  men 
tal  manipulations. 

"  I  shall  be  obliged  to  have  a  little  talk  with  the  young 
woman  the  very  first  opportunity,  and  let  her  plainly  understand 
that  the  romance  of  my  life  is  over,  and  it  won't  be  of  any  use 
to  try  to  get  up  the  smallest  sort  of  a  tenderness  for  me,  be 
cause  I  cannot  return  it.  and  I  don't  mean  to  try." 

Although  his  vanity  had  gotten  a  terrible  blow,  his  self-love 
a  severe  shock  several  years  since,  when  he  had  wished  for  the 
woman  who  did  not  wish  for  him,  there  was  still  enough  of  the 
leaven  of  manishness  to  leaven  quite  a  lump  of  conceit,  and 
make  him  apprehend  the  certainty  of  positions  and  scenes 
where  he  might  be  the  victim  of  attentions — perhaps  also  of 


Looking  Ahead  with  a  Vengeance.  91 

reproaches  mingled  with  tears,  from  the  maid  who  was  about 
to  assume,  his  name  and  state. 

I  don't  suppose  any  kind  of  experience  could  shake  the  idea 
out  of  any  man  that  the  wondrous  spell  of  his  daily  presence  is 
not  certain  to  be  dangerous  to  the  peace  of  any  woman. 

Samuel  certainly  looked  very  handsome  when  his  toilette 
was  completed,  and  he  finished  his  preparations  as  elaborately 
as  if  it  had  been  Sabrina  Bradshaw  who  awaited  his  coming 
down  at  the  old  parsonage.  In  fact,  he  could  not  help  stop 
ping  to  dream  one  short  dream — of  how  they  two  would  have 
looked,  standing  hand  in  hand  before  the  altar — and  he  rolled 
the  towel  with  which  he  had  been  drying  his  face  into  a  hard 
ball,  and  dashed  it  into  a  corner,  as  he  growled  : 

"  Jove  !  what  ever  possessed  me  to  let  mother  push  me 
into  this  abominable  predicament  ?  I'm  too  easy  by  half, 
that  is  what  is  the  trouble.  I'm  always  letting  people  knock 
me  about  to  suit  their  plans.  I'm  just  like  a  shuttle-cock,  now 
here,  now  there.  Such  a  bore  as  it  is  to  stand  out  and  make 
a  rumpus  !  But  I  never  in  my  life  expected  my  complaisance 
to  carry  me  thus  far  !  I  did  not  really  suppose  she  could  take 
me  by  the  hand  and  walk  me  up  to  matrimony  as  she  used  to 
lead  me  to  school !  It  is  so  confoundedly  absurd  that  I  could 
find  much  food  for  mirth  in  the  performance,  if  it  was  any  other 
fellow  who  played  first  fool.  What  a  tale  Chandy  would  make 
out  of  the  circumstance  !  And  besides,  who  shall  be  able  to 
compute  the  loss  to  the  farming  community  which  this  affair  shall 
entail  ?  because  I  really  did  intend  to  study  : 

"  What  makes  the  richest  tilth? 

Beneath  what  signs 

To  plow,  and  when  to  match  my  elms  and  vines  ? 
What  care  with  flocks,  and  what  with  herds  agrees  ? 
And  all  the  management  of  frugal  bees." 

Although  Mr.  Slaughton  purposed  to  be  magnanimous 
towards  the  other  actor  in  the  approaching  ceremony,  in  so  far 


92  Looking  Ahead  with  a  Vengeance. 

as  to  give  her  fair  and  timely  warning,  he  rather  doubted 
whether  or  no  she  was  worth  much  thought  or  trouble.  She 
had  paid  no  heed  to  his  letter,  and  must  be  deliberate  in  choos 
ing,  or  at  least  accepting  the  place  in  his  house  on  such  terms 
as  would  be  extremely  distasteful  to  a  sensitive  girl ;  and  as  he 
recited  the  couplet  from  old  Melbourne's  lines,  he  dismissed 
from  his  mind  his  agricultural  plans,  and  also  all  responsibility 
for  the  future  of  the  Parson's  daughter,  so  repugnant  and  dis 
tasteful  to  him  in  every  way.  He  shrugged  his  shoulders,  and 
made  a  disgusted  grimace  as  the  scene  in  the  keeping-room — 
when  Perdita  had  stood  silent  and  apart  with  Betty  in  her  arms, 
rose  before  him  ;  and  he  also  gave  his  white  glove  such  a 
vicious  pull  that  he  divorced  the  thumb  from  the  fingers,  and 
disabled  it  for  service.  A  good  deal  of  muttering  ensued 
while  he  selected  a  fresh  pair,  and  he  went  down  stairs  with  the 
perpendicular  line  between  his  eyebrows  deepened  into  a  most 
unseemly  frown,  for  a  happy  bridegroom. 

"  Come  along,  Sammy  !  "  called  out  the  old  lady,  as  soon  as 
she  caught  sight  of  him.  "  We  are  none  too  early." 

"  To  my  mind  we  could  not  be  too  late  ; "  and  he  looked 
hard  at  her  as  he  added  :  "  Mark  my  words,  now,  mother  ;  I 
tell  you  you  will  not  find  the  play  worth  the  candle." 


'Love  Me  if  I  Live,  Love  Me  if  I  Die" 


93 


CHAPTER  XII. 


'*  LOVE    ME    IF    I    LIVE,    LOVE    ME    IF   I   DIE." 

[HE  marriage  service  was  short.  The  two 
stood  up  before  the  old  Parson,  who 
cleared  his  husky  throat  and  pronounced 
them  husband  and  wife. 

Perdita  lifted  her  eyes  in  positive  af 
fright.  She  could  scarcely  believe  what 
she  heard  and  saw.  Kindness,  almost 
tenderness,  in  the  voice  she  was  accus 
tomed  to  know  hard  and  harsh  ;  and  benevolence  which  nearly 
amounted,  to  love  illumining  the  stern  face  ;  and — could  it  be  ? 
Yes ;  there  were  tears  in  the  eyes  deep-set  and  forbidding, 
where  she  had  seen  reproof  and  displeasure,  but  never  love ; 
never  sympathy ;  scarcely  the  forbearance  of  the  judge  who 
hesitates  to  pronounce  sentence  on  the  culprit. 

A  flood  of  burning  crimson  dashed  over  her  cheeks  with  the 
strange  sight,  and  she  threw  a  swift  glance  at  Teddy.  He  had 
thoughts  only  for  the  friend  he  was  losing,  and  was  gazing  sadly 
at  her.  He  had  not  seen  the  incredible  phenomenon  ;  and 
when  the  Parson  took  his  daughter's  hand  in  his,  and  said  in  a 
solemn  voice : 

"  The  Lord  bless  you,  my  daughter  !  The  God  of  your 
fathers  be  with  you  and  make  you  a  good  and  faithful  wife." 
She  shuddered.  A  blessing  from  those  lips  sounded  so  unfa 
miliar,  it  felt  almost  like  a  curse,  and  her  thoughts  rebelliously 
flew  towards  her  poor  mother,  who  had  been  a  good  and  faith 
ful  wife  to  him.  There  she  sat  in  a  corner.  What  a  pitiful 
wreck  the  goodness  and  faithfulness  had  reduced  her  to  be  ! 

As  soon  as  he  loosed  his  grasp  she  stepped  away  from  her 
husband  without  a  word  or  look  in  his  direction.  Their  hands 


94  "Lore  Mi'  if  I  Live,  Lc>rc  Me  if  I  Die." 

had  been  joined,  but  no  electric  thrill  had  passed  from  heart  to 
heart — dead  fingers  could  scarcely  have  been  colder  or  more 
irresponsive  than  hers  as  she  placed  them  in  his,  extended  to  re 
ceive  them  by  the  order  of  the  clergyman.  And  he  surrendered 
the  little  hand  without  the  least  pressure,  although  he  had  just 
promised  to  love  and  cherish  its  owner.  Such  idle  words  were 
scarcely  ever  uttered,  as  that  marriage  vow,  conveying  no 
meaning  to  either  of  them  ;  speaking  no  purpose  of  their  wills, 
no  compact  even  of  their  understandings.  The  husband 
offered  no  salute  to  his  bride ;  she  did  not  observe  the  omission. 
She  would  have  been  shocked  and  indignant  if  he  had  kissed 
her.  It  would  have  appeared  to  her  a  public  insult,  an  out 
rageous  presumption.  She  was  in  no  such  danger,  however ; 
and  the  bridegroom's  lips,  drawn  up  in  the  centre  and  dropped 
at  the  corners,  were  in  no  shape  for  tenderness,  or  even  polite 
ness  ;  and  his  head  was  lifted  stiff  and  stubborn,  while  his  "  eye 
lids  looked  straight  on  and  his  eyes  right  before  him."  He  did 
not  seem  to  observe  the  swift  and  eager  motion  with  which  his 
bride  turned  aw.iy  from  his  side,  nor  the  hasty  tread  of  her  light 
feet  as  she  hurried  towards  the  object,  source,  and  centre  of  her 
thoughts  and  longings — little  Betty,  who  had  been  quite  chatty 
and  gay  in  the  early  part  of  the  proceedings,  fluttering  about 
her  sister,  chirping  in  her  ear,  and  nestling  close  to  her,  and 
had  been  sternly  ordered  to  go  away  and  "  keep  still." 

Such  a  festive  and  cheerful  admonition  !  so  suited  to  a  wed 
ding  occasion  !  Parson  Hethwaite's  youngest  nearly  wilted 
under  it ;  she  crept  to  a  far  corner  and  crouched  there,  palpi 
tating  and  grieving,  apart  from  her  best  friend,  and  watching 
with  eager  and  affrighted  eyes  the  stranger  who  stood  beside 
her.  No  man  had  ever  stood  by  her  Perdita  like  that  before, 
and  the  sight  filled  the  trembling  mite  with  terror  and  dread  ; 
and  when  at  length  she  saw  the  face  she  loved  and  trusted 
bending  over  her,  and  heard  the  lips  which  always  spoke  truth 
whispering  to  her,  she  began  to  weep. 

"Betty,  stand  up,"  said  Perdita  quietly;  "don't  sob  !    don't 


11  Love  Me  if  I  Live,  Love  Me  if  I  Die."  95 

cry  !  hush  !  Father's  mouth  is  open  ;  he  is  looking  over  here 
at  you,  and  he  will  send  you  upstairs,  and  then  you  won't  have 
any  of  the'nice  ice  cream.  Come  out  with  me.  I  am  not  father's 
slave  any  more ;  he  can't  hinder  my  going  where  I  choose,  and 
I  choose  to  get  away  from  these  people  as  fast  as  I  can." 

As  she  passed  from  the  room,  holding  the  child's  hand,  the 
Parson  eyed  her  severely,  but  he  did  not  call  her  back ;  and 
as  soon  as  she  was  in  the  open  air  under  the  oaks,  she  picked 
up  the  mite  and  held  her  fast  locked  in  her  arms. 

"  Betty,  listen  to  me,"  said  she  ;  "  pay  attention  to  what  I 
say.  I  am  going  to  leave  you  for  a  little  while.  I  shall  soon 
come  back  again  ;  and  till  I  do  come,  you  must  be  brave. 
Keep  out  of  father's  way  all  you  can.  Mother  will  dress  you, 
and  you  must  not  trouble  her  much  ;  she  has  enough  to  do. 
And  when  I  am  here  again,  I  will  tell  you  something  very  nice." 

The  child  clung  to  her,  pale  and  affrighted.  "  Don't  go, 
Perdita,  and  leave  Betty,"  she  whispered  ;  "  don't  go." 

"  1  must — only  a  little  while.  There  !  they  are  calling  me. 
Remember  now  !  Be  quiet,  and  don't  make  any  fuss  when  I 
go.  You  know  what  father  does  when  you  make  a  fuss.  Now 
come,  and  Dolly  shall  give  you  some  cake  and  things." 

When  she  returned  to  the  guests  her  husband  was  standing 
among  them,  looking  bored  and  disdainful,  and  his  mother  was 
bustling  about,  helping  the  refreshments  in  such  an  ubiquitous 
style  that  Mrs.  Hethwaite  was  quite  thrust  aside  and  left  out ; 
but  she  did  not  seem  to  mind  ;  she  was  used  to  being  under 
valued  and  suppressed.  And  when  the  widow  came  with  a 
plate  full  of  eatables  and  asked  her  if  she  would  have  some,  she 
meekly  took  it  and  said  "  Thank  you,"  and  ate  the  cake  as  un 
assumingly  as  if  it  had  been  somebody  else's  daughter's  wed 
ding,  in  which  she  had  no  interest. 

The  married  pair  tasted  nothing ;  and  as  nobody  was  very 
talkative  or  cheerful,  it  was  even  more  lugubrious  than  wed 
dings  generally  are,  and  no  one  was  inclined  to  linger  long 
among  the  festivities. 


96  "Love  Me  if  I  Live,  Love  Me  if  I  Die" 

"  A  very  handsome  couple  ;  indeed  they  are,"  said  Mrs. 
Pratt  to  Mrs.  Batt;  "as  good-looking  a  pair  as  ever  I  saw." 

Perdita  heard  the  remark,  but  she  did  not  apply  it  to  her 
self  ;  why  should  she  ?  Nobody  had  ever  told  her  she  was 
pretty.  She — a  "  vessel  of  wrath  born  under  sin,  totally  de 
praved."  Of  what  consequence  were  looks  to  her  father's 
child  ?  As  to  her  husband,  she  had  not  once  lifted  a  glance  to 
his  face  ;  she  was  not  in  the  least  troubling  herself  about  him. 
Swiftly  as  her  thoughts  were  whirling,  not  one  of  them  stopped 
upon  him.  She  caught  sight  of  3.  lonesome,  dreary,  forlorn 
woman  in  the  corner,  and  she  went  and  bent  over  her,  putting 
out  both  her  hands  and  seizing  the  trembling  arms  which  lay 
close  locked  above  the  poor  heart  which  had  suffered  so  much  ! 

"  Good-by,  mother,"  said  she.  "  You  kissed  me  Monday  ; 
may  I  kiss  you  now  ?  If  you  had  kissed  us  oftener,  we  might 
have  had  better  times ;  but  I  know  it  was  no  fault  of  yours. 
Don't  lay  up  my  badness  against  me,  if  you  can  forget  it. 
There's  Betty  !  watch  her  as  close  as  you  can.  Can't  you 
smile  once,  mother  ?  I'm  sorry  I — — " 

A  sob  was  gathering  in  her  throat,  tears  were  ready  to  burst 
from  her  eyes  ;  but  she  forced  them  back,  and  at  the  sound  of 
Dame  Slaughton's  brisk  voice,  she  wheeled  quickly  around, 
and  stood  in  quiet  silence,  while  she  waited  for  further  orders. 

"We  are  all  ready  to  go  now,  Perdita;  don't  you  see  my 
Samuel  holding  out  his  arm  for  you  to  take  ?  " 

She  looked  scornfully  at  the  arm,  which  certainly  was  not  as 
yet  offered  her  ;  but  she  placed  the  tips  of  her  fingers  upon  it, 
when  her  husband  approached  with  an  indifferent  bow,  and  she 
stepped  out  of  the  old  room  by  his  side,  turning  her  back  on 
her  girl-life  without  regrets  for  its  past  or  hopes  for  her  future 
At  least  none  appeared  in  her  dark,  set  face,  her  still,  emotion 
less  manner  ;  no  tears,  no  smiles,  no  flutter  ;  only  dumb,  unin 
terested  obedience,  which  submitted  to  the  sway  of  others. 


A  Time  to  Love  and  a  Time  to  Hate. 


97 


CHAPTER  XIII. 


A  TIME   TO   LOVE   AND   A   TIME   TO   HATE. 


JHERE'S  a  gentleman  in  the  library,"  said 
Hannah  to  Mr.  Slaughton,  as  the  bridal 
company  reached  the  door  of  the  man 
sion-house.  "  He's  just  this  instant 
come." 

"  Yes,  old  boy,  I  am  arrived  at  this 
identical  point  and  period  of  time,"  ex 
claimed  a  familiar  voice,  which  had  always  been  welcome  to 
Mr.  Slaughton' s  ears  up  to  this  moment ;  "  and  hours  too  late 
at  that,  it  seems." 

And  handsome  Chandy  came  out,  and  offered  his  hand  to  his 
boyhood's  friend,  the  companion  of  his  youth,  the  sharer  of 'his 
travels — through  all  which  years  they  had  been  like  Damon  and 
Pythias,  David  and  Jonathan,  and  others. 

"  Chandos  Goldsmith  ! "  exclaimed  the  bridegroom,  with  a 
slight  shade  of  chagrin  or  annoyance  beneath  his  cordial  wel 
come.  "  Well,  this  is  a  surprise  !  " 

"  I  should  say  so  !  Why  didn't  you  let  a  fellow  know  ?  You 
might  have  knocked  me  down  with  a  feather  when  J  "nind  you 
had  gone  to  be  married.  Pray  present  me  to  your  bnu,  " 

"  Of  course,"  said  Mr.  Slaughton,  getting  red,  and  turning 
very  slowly  and  unwillingly  towards  Perdita,  who  stood  in  the 
doorway,  not  yet  having  crossed  the  threshold.  Perhaps  she 
meant  to  stand  there  till  she  was  bidden  to  enter. 

"  Yes — ahem  !  Mrs. — ughf — ughf — Slaughton,  Mr.  Gold 
smith.  Make  yourself  at  home,  Chandos,  old  chap." 

"  Thank  you  ;  I  will.     Most  happy  to  see  Sam's  wife,  I  assure 
you,  madam,"  answered  Chandy,  in  his  frank,  pleasant  voice. 
5 


98  A  Time  to  Love  and  a  Time  to  Hate. 

"  I  am  lucky  to  be  just  in  the  nick  of  time  for  congratulations, 
Sam  !  Of  course  it  is  en  regie  for  me  to  salute  the  bride.  My 
gracious  !  to  think  of  kissing  Sam's  wife  !  That  is  a  happiness 
I  never  expected." 

Taking  the  permission  for  granted,  he  tasted  the  girl's  lips 
before  she  knew  what  he  was  about,  while  the  husband  stood 
back,  quite  as  red  and  embarrassed  as  the  recipient  of  the  kiss. 

Perdita  was  utterly  abashed  and  astonished,  and  knew  not 
what  to  say  or  do,  being  entirely  ignorant  that  such  a  custom 
obtained,  or  such  a  liberty  could  be  thought  of,  much  less  seized 
on  as  a  matter  of  course.  She  looked  at  the  offender  as  if  she 
thought  somebody  ought  to  kill  him  on  the  spot,  and  she  had 
two  minds  to  do  the  deed  herself,  only  waiting  to  see  how  the 
others  would  behave  ;  and  she  inly  wondered  if  a  truly  chosen 
and  well-beloved  wife  could  have  been  so  treated  before  them 
all  with  impunity. 

"  I  call  it  unkind  of  Sam,"  remarked  Chancly  easily,  "  to 
steal  such  a  march  on  me  ;  but  you  see  my  good  fortune  favors 
me  in  spite  of  his  churlishness,  and  I  feel  that  we  may  be  excel 
lent  friends.  What  say  you,  Mrs.  Slaughton — will  you  enter  me 
on  your  list  ?  I  never  needlessly  set  foot  on  a  worm  ;  so  you 
perceive  I  am  eligible,  according  to  Cowper." 

Even  while  he  was  running  on  thus,  Chandy  could  not  help 
observing  that  something  was  out  of  joint,  and  he  tried  to  divine 
what  was  the  subject  of  discord,  and  what  lay  beneath  Perdita's 
stillness.  Was  she  shy,  or  furious  ?  Was  she  angry  with  his 
presumption,  or  out  of  temper  with  her  husband?  And  he 
scanned  the  group  curiously,  while  he  blandly  chatted  as  if  he 
saw  around  him  the  most  commonplace  of  wedding  parties. 

Mr.  Slaughton  threw  open  the  parlor  door,  and  waving  his 
hand  towards  Perdita  with  a  sort  of  compulsory  politeness, 
invited  her  to  enter,  which  she  did,  followed  by  the  guest,  and 
walked  towards  the  window,  before  which  she  placed  herself, 
turning  her  back  upon  them  all  and  gazing  down  the  road 
which  she  had  come. 


A  Time  to  Love  and  a  Time  to  Hate.  99 

The  dame  pattered  away,  and  presently  returned  intent  on 
business. 

"  Come,  Perdita,"  said  she  with  a  gesture  of  hurry.  "  Come, 
and  I  will  show  you  the  rooms  and  the  presses  and  things,  and 
you  can  take  off  your  bonnet  and  get  ready  for  supper.  I 
don't  suppose  you  feel  very  hungry.  I  don't,  after  eating  cake, 
and  ham,  and  all  that.  But  the  men-folks  will  want  their  tea — 
they  always  do.  I  think  men  are  continually  hungry  ;  they 
live  to  eat,  while  women  eat  to  live,  which  is  just  the  difference 
between  them  and  us.  They  are  devoted  to  creature  comforts, 
and  it  seems  to  be  our  principal  business  to  pamper  them. 
Well,  we  must  let  our  cares  be  our  pleasures,  as  Mr.  Slaughton 
used  to  say  to  me  when  I  had  so  much  to  do  that  I  felt  fit  to 
drop.  Yes,  I've  worked  hard  in  my  day ;  but  I  mean  to  take 
a  rest  now,  that  I  do." 

They  had  ascended  the  stairs  while  the  dame  was  talking, 
and  she  pushed  open  the  door  of  the  front  room  before  she  had 
finished  all  she  had  to  say  about  her  expectations. 

"  Here  you  are,  my  dear !  and  welcome  home  !  This  is  the 
scene  of  your  future  cares  and  labors,  and  you  will  not  find 
time  to  hang  heavier  here  than  down  yonder.  Solomon  praised 
up  capable  women  ;  though  I  dare  say  he  had  a  good  mess  of 
lazy  ones  amongst  his  sixty  thousand  wives.  We've  all  got  to 
work  ;  the  odds  of  working  in  one  place  or  another  don't  count 
much.  You've  got  to  work  here  after  this,  and  I  shall  see  that 
you  have  all  that  you  can  do  on  your  hands,  I  promise  you.  I 
know  you  will  be  pleased  to  be  busy.  You  have  been  an 
industrious  girl,  and  now  you  are  going  to  be  an  industrious 
woman.  I  shall  send  immediately  for  Sallie's  children,  and  I 
forewarn  you,  you  will  find  your  minutes  full.  Such  healthy, 
active  young  ones  as  they  are,  overflowing  with  life  and 
spirits !  Here  are  the  presses,  and  these  are  the  closets.  I 
will  give  you  a  list  of  their  contents  to-morrow.  You  see 
they  are  well  stored  with  handsome  things  ;  they  need  good 
care  ;  and  I  will  talk  over  my  method  with  you.  I  like  to 


ioo          A  Time  to  Love  and  a  Time  to  Hate. 

have  the  house  move  like  clock-work,  and  your  mother  tells 
me  your  habits  are  order  itself.  This  room  back  of  yours  has 
been  my  son's  ever  since  he  got  to  be  a  man — though,  to  be 
sure,  he  hasn't  used  it  any  great  deal,  being  all  the  while  travel 
ling  about.  He'll  stay  at  home  now,  and  settle  down.  You  see, 
it  is  full  of  costly  notions."  She  stepped  forward  and  pushed 
open  the  door,  and  went  in  with  an  air  of  pride  as  she  spoke. 
"  Some  of  them,  money  foolishly  spent,  to  my  mind  ;  but,  as  it 
was  spent,  they  have  got  to  be  taken  care  of.  You  will  have 
to  dust  and  sweep  in  here  yourself.  I  always  did.  I  was 
always  afraid  Hannah  might  break  something.  I  think  it  is  a 
good  plan  for  a  woman  to  take  care  of  her  own  room.  I  know 
you  are  used  to  it ;  so  it  will  come  easy  to  you.  Now,  out 
here  in  the  north  wing,  are  some  rooms  for  the  children  ;  you 
may  fix  them  up  as  you  have  a  mind  to.  I  shan't  interfere. 
You  will  have  to  teach  them — the  children,  I  mean — and  dress 
them  and  see  to  them.  Your  mother  says  you  pretty  near 
brought  up  your  little  sister,  and  did  a  good  deal  of  teaching 
for  the  others ;  so  it  will  make  it  seem  quite  like  home  to  you. 
Well,  I  shall  have  to  go  down  now  and  see  to  the  supper.  I 
suppose  you  won't  feel  like  helping  to-night.  So  you  can  put 
up  your  clothes  and  tidy  round  ;  and  then  you  had  better  go 
and  sit  down  in  the  parlor.  You  don't  need  to  begin  too 
smart." 

After  the  dame  pattered  away,  Perdita  took  off  her  wraps, 
smoothed  her  hair,  and  looked  about  her.  It  was  a  very  pretty 
room  which  she  had  been  told  was  hers,  over  the  front  parlor, 
opening  southward  into  the  garden,  and  east  on  the  shrubbery 
and  trees,  and  beyond  giving  a  vista  of  the  road  up  which  she 
hud  just  come  from  the  parsonage.  It  was  nicely  furnished,  and 
every  way  complete  and  handsome.  But  though  her  eyes  roamed 
over  the  chairs  and  tables,  though  she  stepped  to  the  window 
and  gazed  out  upon  the  wide  prospect — "  the  orchard,  the 
meadow,  the  deep-tangled  wildwood  " — there  was  no  pride  of 
possession  in  her  face ;  no  visions  of  grandeur  and  ease  rose 


A  Time  to  Love  and  a  Time  to  Hate.  101 

before  her  mind.  She  was  busy  with  a  purpose ;  her  steady 
eyes  showed  it,  her  firmly  closed  mouth,  and  the  defiant  poise 
of  her  head,  full  of  will  and  resolution. 

A  tale  she  had  heard  once,  came  to  her  memory,  of  a  man 
who  turned  to  his  bride  as  soon  as  the  ceremony  was  finished, 
and  said,  "  Yesterday  you  was  a  poor  seamstress !  to-day  you 
are  Mrs.  Johnson  Jones."  "  This  man,"  she  reflected  bitterly, 
"  said  to  me — nothing,  though  it  is  quite  likely  his  thoughts  were 
busy  enough.  He  certainly  looked  almost  as  disagreeable  as 
father.  She  greets  me,  not  as  mistress  here,  not  as  wife  to  her 
son  ;  but  as  a  servant  to  receive  her  orders  and  do  her  bidding. 
She  does  not  link  my  life  with  the  man's  down  stairs  by  a 
thought ;  neither  do  I,  as  I  shall  make  them  both  understand." 

.While  she  was  brooding,  she  heard  voices  advancing  along 
the  upper  hall,  and  footsteps  which  paused  at  the  door  oppo 
site.  Mr.  Slaughton  was  conducting  his  friend  to  his  apart 
ment.  They  entered,  shut  themselves  in,  and  presently  from 
the  interior  there  came  a  sound  of  chatting  and  merry  laugh 
ter  ;  the  unbidden  guest  was  making  himself  at  home.  She 
frowned,  and  tapped  the  sash  with  her  fingers ;  she  recoiled 
from  the  certainty  that  they  were  able  to  make  her,  the  bride, 
a  subject  of  their  conversation.  That  they  had  glib  tongues 
was  evident — as  fleet  and  swift  as  women's  ;  and  what  so  likely 
to  occupy  them  as  the  most  recent  occurrence  of  Mr.  Slaugh 
ton' s  life?  She  chided  herself  immediately,  however,  for  the 
suspicion ;  because  as  yet  she  knew  nothing  absolutely  to  the 
discredit  of  either.  Neither  she  nor  Teddy  would  be  guilty  of 
such  meanness  ;  and  as  she  had  no  standards  of  comparison, 
she  rested  on  what  she  knew.  She  stepped  out  while  they^ 
were  engaged,  and  retracing  her  road  she  waited  at  the  stair 
head  until  Mr.  Slaughton  should  appear. 

Pretty  soon  he  came,  alone,  having  left  his  friend  to  the  busi 
ness  of  dressing.  He  hesitated  when  he  saw  her,  as  if  unwill 
ing  to  encounter  her  face  to  face  j  seeing  which,  she  delib 
erately  approached  him. 


IO2  A  Time  to  Love  and  a  Time  to  Hate. 

"  Mr.  Slaughton,"  she  began  in  a  low  voice,  of  which  every 
tone  was  clear  and  sweet,  "  Mr.  Slaughton,  permit  me  to  say  a 
few  \vords  to  you,  just  here — before  we  two  are  one  minute 
older." 

"  Now  it  is  coming,"  thought  Sam.  "  She  is  going  to  throw 
herself  on  my  mercy,  and  try  to  make  me  say  something 
spooney." 

Perhaps  the  bored  and  supercilious  expression  on  his  face 
helped  her  to  speak  plainly ;  and  she  needed  some  steadying 
force,  for  her  heart  beat  fast,  and  she  trembled  so  much  that  she 
grasped  the  stair-rail,  clasping  it  firmly  in  her  fingers. 

"  God  has  not  joined  us  together.  It  is  but  a  contract  for 
a  housekeeper  which  you  have  signed — a  contract  agreed  upon 
by  two  women.  I  do  not  learn  that  you  have  sanctioned  or 
approved  it  by  a  single  word.  Your  mother  has  already  ex 
plained  to  me  the  duties  of  the  place,  and  set  my  tasks.  I  am 
to  labor  in  the  school-room — I  am  to  be  the  Slaughton  house 
keeper.  I  consider  it  your  business,  as  master  of  this  house, 
to  assign  me  the  proper  rooms  for  the  service  ;  that  I  may  have 
the  privacy  out  of  hours,  to  which  every  servant  is  entitled.  I 
intend  to  be  faithful.  I  know  it  is  no  light  thing  I  have  under 
taken.  The  Vance  children  are  not  promising ;  I  am  young  ; 
but  I  am  used  to  hardness  and  crosses.  I  have  been  placed 
here  without  my  consent;  my  inclinations  were  not  con 
sulted " 

"  Pardon  a  moment's  interruption.  I  understood  you  were 
quite  agreeable  to  the  arrangement ;  you  have  entered  no  pro 
test  ;  you  left  my  letter  unanswered " 

"  What  letter,  sir?  You  surprise  me  !  I  have  received  no 
letter  from  you — have  heard  of  none." 

"  That  is  strange,  because  I  wrote  you  from  Toptown  last 
Monday,  begging  you  to  make  sure  that  you  wished  to  be — 

As  Sam  rather  hesitated  for  the  proper  word,  she  quick ly  and 
impetuously  interrupted  him. 

"  So  you  endeavored  to  decline  the  bargain  your  mother  was 


A  Time  to  Love  and  a  Time  to  Hate.  103 

making  in  your  behalf,"  she  said  with  curling  lip.  "Why 
couldn't  you  have  said  as  much  ?  that  would  have  saved  you 
at  once.  I  assure  you  no  epistle  of  yours  ever  reached  me.  1 
was  told  that  you  preferred  to  leave  the  affair  in  the  hands  of  the 
parents,  being  too  sensible  to  be  sentimental,  and  that  it  was  my 
pious  duty  to  be  deeply  thankful  that  the  leadings  of  Provi 
dence  were  so  plainly  marked  in  my  behalf  as  to  be  unmistak 
able." 

"I  trust  you  were  not  forced  to  this  step." 

"  I  was  not  whipped !  though  there's  no  knowing  what  might 
have  happened  to  me  if  I  had  stood  out.  If  you  comprehended 
better  the  internal  economy  of  the  Hethwaite  family,  you 
would  know  there  is  but  one  will  there — one  autocrat — one 
Sublime  Porte." 

"  I  am  extremely  sorry,"  began  Sam. 

"  Not  so  sorry  as  you  may  be,  probably.  As  for  me,  I  have 
only  a  feeling  of  pure  amazement  that  a  grown  man  should 
allow  himself  to  be  disposed  of  like  a  boy  in  short  jackets.  If 
I  were  a  man,  I  would  select  to  my  pleasure." 

The  gentleman  listened  in  wonder.  Indeed,  he  felt  as  if  he 
had  somehow  lost  the  initiative,  and  that  it  was  she  who  was 
having  the  little  talk  with  him  ;  and  very  plainly  and  pointedly 
was  she  conducting  it,  marking  out  her  ground  and  saying  to 
him,  as  King  Canute  said  to  the  waves,  "  Thus  far  shalt  thou 
come,  and  no  farther."  A  curious  idea  those  parsonage  people 
must  have,  if  disciplined  obedience,  which  never  spoke  up,  "  had 
its  will  broken  at  four  years  old,  was  meek  and  quiet,  and  ac 
cepted  all  things  without  a  murmur." 

He  looked  her  unpleasantly  over,  standing  there  straight  as 
an  arrow,  as  proud  as  Lucifer  himself,  at  her  coal-black  eyes 
kindled  into  blazing  scorn — her  jetty  hair,  clearly-lined  brows, 
a  trifle  too  much  arched,  which  gave  her  face  a  mocking 
expression,  just  now,  at  any  rate  ;  and  he  felt  that  she  had  been 
weighing  him  in  her  mental  balance,  making  a  judgment  of 
his  strange  conduct  from  her  stand  point,  which  must  of  course 


IO4          A  Time  to  Love  and  a  Time  to  Hate. 

be  anything  but  favorable  to  him.  He  might  have  known  she 
would  do  it ;  and  still  it  had  not  before  occurred  to  him  that 
she  could  ;  and  he  was  to  the  full  as  embarrassed  in  this  first 
interview  as  she  ought  to  have  been  during  the  explanation  he 
had  planned. 

Her  position  there — an  unwooed  wife — might  summon  the 
haughty  intensity  to  her  countenance,  the  cold  scorn  to  her 
manner.  Alone  among  strangers  who  had,  so  far,  been  scarcely 
civil  to  her.  And  she  looked  so  hostile,  that  he  felt  no  desire 
to  ascertain  whether  there  might  lurk  any  soft  tenderness  in  the 
hidden  depths  of  those  lustrous  eyes,  any  kindness  behind  the 
disdain  of  the  unfriendly  face.  On  the  contrary,  he  experienced 
extreme  bitterness  and  rising  pique — not  to  say  enmity,  against 
this  woman  with  the  brow  of  Egypt,  who  confronted  him  with  a 
mien  so  fearless  and  even  menacing. 

"  Here  is  a  fine  ending  to  all  my  youthful  fancies  !  Tied  to 
this  creature  forever,  whom  I  could  not  love  if  I  tried — the  op 
posite  of  all  I  ever  desired.  Married  before  I  knew  the  color 
of  her  eyes,  or  the  sound  of  her  voice  (not  a  dissonant  voice,  I 
must  acknowledge  that)  ;  and  here  I  stand  like  a  great, 
lubberly  boy,  brought  to  book  for  my  folly  in  getting  so  rashly 
mated.  I  deserve  it  too.  Oh,  write  me  an  ass  !  I  will  be 
written  an  ass  !  "  His  full  under-lip  dropped,  and  he  wore  a  most 
rueful  visage  as  he  arrived  at  this  culmination  of  his  reflections. 

"  Madam,"  he  began,  "  what  you  say  is  true.  Your  taste  is 
questionable  in  saying  it.  I  did  take  a  wife  to  please  my 
mother ;  I  have  no  doubt  she  will  realize  from  the  transaction 
all  the  advantage  she  counts  on.  As  for  me,  I  am  proverbially 
a  quiet  man.  It  seems  most  evident  that  you  expect  little 
from  me,  and  rest  assured  I  shall  take  excellent  care  to  cross 
your  path  as  seldom  as  possible.  Since  you  have  assumed  my 
name,  I  trust  you  will  try  to  behave  so  as  not  to  make  my  pri 
vate  affairs  a  theme  for  gossips.  I  do  not  relish  the  idea  of 
being  laughed  at.  You  will  find  me  uniformly  civil  when  I  am 
called  on  to  be  so,  and  decent  appearances  may  be  preserved." 


A  Time  to  Love  and  a  Time  to  Hate.  105 

Sam's  instincts  led  him  to  be  habitually  gentle  to  women  ; 
but  he  was  determined  to  say  that  much,  and  he  said  it  with  a 
good  deal  more  vim  and  rasp,  it  may  be,  than  he  might  have 
used  had  he  not  been  forced  to  be  a  target  for  her  glances,  a 
victim  to  her  sharpness  ;  and  he  felt  uncomfortable  as  he  said 
it  too,  and  foolish.  That  was  probably  the  effect  of  a  scarcely 
perceptible  shrug  of  the  well-turned  shoulders  opposite  him,  and 
an  almost  inaudible  sniff  with  which  his  proposition  was  received. 

"  Do  not  feel  the  slightest  alarm,  sir.  Should  you  do  me  the 
honor  of  a  remark  at  any  time,  on  your  basis  of  appearances, 
you  may  be  sure  that  I  shall  reply  humbly  and  properly.  I 
shall  do  my  best  to  make  my  deportment  such  that  your  friends 
will  not  be  able  to  find  in  it  a  flaw  to  hang  a  thought  on.  I 
shall  be  a  painstaking  housekeeper;  I  shall  jingle  my  keys 
conspicuously  (housekeepers  carry  keys,  I  believe).  I  shall 
keep  the  obstreperous  children  in  such  order  that  your  after 
noon  nap  shall  not  be  disturbed.  Oh,  yes,  I  have  a  full 
schedule  of  the  pleasant  tasks  which  are  to  fill  my  hands  ;  and  I 
mean  to  do  them.  But — I  will  not  serve  for  nothing.  I  demand 
an  equivalent  for  the  teaching,  which,  with  the  housekeeper's 
business — if  I  am  to  give  my  opinion — I  should  say  was  roll 
ing  the  proper  work  of  two  girls  into  one.  Still,  I  do  not  object, 
on  one  condition — I  must  have  my  sister  Bettine  to  share  my 
life.  Had  it  not  been  for  this  intention,  I  tell  you  plainly  I 
might  have  braved  the  paternal  wrath.  I  am  twenty,  and  in 
another  year  I  could  have  gone  out  from  the  home  bondage  to 
earn  my  living  ;  but  in  that  case  I  must  have  left  this  timid, 
tender  child  to  the  experiences  of  my  own  youth.  Grant  me 
•this  favor,  and  I  will  do  my  best  to  please.  Whatever  you  may 
demand  to  keep  up  appearances  in  public  shall  be  attended  to, 
and  you  may  be  assured  that  I  shall  never  in  any  way  intrude 
upon  you  anywhere." 

"  Do  not  ask  my  permission,  madam  ;  pray  carry  forward 
any  schemes  you  may  have  formed,  independently.  I  have  no 
intention  to  dictate  to  you  on  any  subject,  or  interfere  with 
5* 


IO6  A  Time  to  Love  and  a  Time  to  Hate. 

you.  Perhaps  I  ought  to  have  told  you. — at  any  rate,  I  shall 
tell  you  now,  in  justice  to  my  own  consistency — that  the 
romance  of  my  life  is  over,  my  dream  dreamed  out.  If  you 
choose  to  accept  this  as  a  reason  for  my  easy  compliance  with 
my  mother's  wishes,  at  which  you  were  just  now  pleased  to  ex 
press  wonder — '  pure  amazement,'  I  think  you  said — you  will 
see  that  this  arrangement  of  your  life  assumes  less  importance 
in  my  mind  than  you  might  have  supposed." 

"  You  are  altogether  mistaken,  sir.  I  never  for  one  instant 
flattered  myself  that  you  were  thinking  of  me.  You  might 
have  told  me  !  oh,  yes,  you  might  have  done  several  things 
which  you  neglected.  This  bit  of  gratuitous  information,  which 
certainly  intensifies  the  charm  of  my  position,  is  intended,  I 
suppose,  to  crush  any  little  aspirations  I  might  have,  and  to 
warn  me  that  no  efforts  of  mine,  were  I  eager  to  nfake  them, 
could  ever  win  for  me  a  place  in  your  regard  ;  or  perhaps  you 
mean  to  be  interesting  in  the  character  of  a  blighted  being 
(I  have  read  of  such  in  the  novels  we  used  to  borrow).  In 
either  case,  rest  perfectly  easy,  Mr.  Slaughton  ;  I  shall  not  miss, 
fortunately,  what  is  called  love.  I  never  saw  anything  worthy 
the  name,  either  at  home  or  elsewhere,  among  married  people, 
and  I  do  not  believe  it  is  readily  to  be  had  for  the  wishing ; 
and  I  must  congratulate  you  on  having  gone  through  the 
malady  so  that  you  are  cured  for  life,  as  from  scarlet  fever  or 
measles.  Ah,  let  me  assume  my  proper  expression.  I  must 
purse  my  lips  thus.  Your  friend  approaches.  You  see  our 
conference  has  a  most  natural  seeming,  and  I  hope  this  sort  of 
smile  and  courtesy  will  do  for  a  leave-taking  ;  it  is  the  best  I 
have  at  present.  I  will  endeavor  to  improve." 
I  She  left  Sam  in  a  dazed  state.  Such  a  glib  tongue  !  such 
spirit !  such  fearless  daring  in  so  difficult  a  place,  among  such 
mortifying  conditions.  He  watched  her  out  of  sight,  to  all  ap 
pearance  undaunted,  independent,  and  he  muttered  to  himself : 

"  Poor  mother  !  she  will  have  the  worst  of  it,  because  she 
cannot  possibly  go  and  kill  tigers  in  Timbuctoo." 


He  Tempers  the  Wind  to  the  Shorn  Lamb."     107 
CHAPTER  XIV. 

HE   TEMPERS   THE  WIND   TO   THE    SHORN    LAMB." 


[AYES  you  feel  too  tired  to  pour  the  tea, 
Perdita,"  said  Dame  Slaughton,  coming 
into  the  supper-room  to  find  the  two 
gentlemen  conversing  by  the  window, 
and  the  bride  standing  near  the  head 
of  the  table,  evidently  waiting  for  her 
appearance  to  assume  her  duties  as 
hostess. 

"  Oh,  no,  madam.  I  flatter  myself  I  am  entirely  equal  to  the 
occasion  ;  we  are  quite  ready,  gentlemen,"  she  added,  turning 
to  the  friends,  who  approached  at  her  summons ;  and  then  she 
seated  herself  at  the  tea-board. 

"You  don't  find  getting  married  so  very  fatiguing  ?"  asked 
Chandy,  laughing.  "  Such  a  lazy  dog  as  this  Sam  is  !  I  hope 
you  will  be  more  successful  in  keeping  him  to  hours  than  I 
have  ever  been  ;  a  regular  slow-coach,  is  Sam  !  " 

"  I  shall  undertake  no  responsibility  of  that  kind,"  she 
answered,  looking  at  the  guest  and  not  at  her  husband.  "  I 
assure  you  it  is  entirely  out  of  my  part." 

"  /always  like  to  pour  the  tea  myself;  I  can  make  it  just  to 
suit.  I'm  rather  particular,"  remarked  the  dowager,  dropping 
discontentedly  into  the  chair  whjph  Chandy  placed  for  her. 

"  I  intend  to  concentrate  my  faculties  on  the  task,  and  I  am 
confident  of  success.  Shall  it  be  one  or,  two  lumps  ?  "  asked 
Perdita,  poising  a  piece  of  sugar  in  the  tongs  above  the  cup 
she  held,  and  looking  at  the  dame  for  instructions. 

"  I  take  mine  clear,  and  pretty  strong.  Samuel  likes  his 
weak,"  replied  the  old  lady  disconsolately. 


io8     "He  Tempers  the  Wind  to  the  Shorn  Lamb." 

"  Nothing  more  simple.  I  am  able  to  go  by  the  card  :  plain 
and  strong  for  you,  sweet  and  weak  for  your  son.  Now,  Mr. 
Goldsmith,  shall  it  be  strength  to  the  strong,  as  well  as  sweets 
to  the  sweet,  for  you." 

"  Oh,  thank  you,  yes,"  said  Chandy.  "  Sam  !  your  wife  is  a 
lady  of  rare  discernment,  I  perceive.  See  how  aptly  and 
readily  she  reads  my  character,"  he  added,  with  a  face  full  of 
merry  mischief.  "  And  don't  you  think  this  will  be  the  appro 
priate  moment  for  the  little  recitation  I  am  accustomed  to 
make  to  newly-married  people  ?  " 

As  the  bridegroom  only  glowered  without  opening  his  lips, 
he  went  on,  taking  silence  for  consent : 

"  '  In  peace  Love  tunes  the  shepherd's  reed ; 
In  war  he  mounts  the  warrior's  steed ; 
In  halls  in  gay  attire  is  seen, 
In  hamlets,  dances  on  the  green. 
Love  rules  the  court,  the  camp,  the  grove, 
And  men  below,  and  saints  above, 
For  love  is  heaven,  and  heaven  is  love.' 


Therefore,  friends,  let  me  congratulate  you  on  your  arrival  in 
Paradise." 

"  A  very  pretty  song  of  Byron's,  indeed,"  mumbled  Sam, 
who  felt  that  he  must  break  the  dead  silence  which  followed 
Chandos's  recitation.  "  I  seem  to  recollect  your  spouting  it 
on  Dolores'  balcony  several  years  ago.  I  compliment  you  on 
your  wonderful  memory." 

"  Yes,  of  course.  But  is  it  Byron's?  what  do  you  say,  Mrs. 
Slaughton  ?  "  asked  Chandos,  looking  pleasantly  at  the  young 
girl,  whose  eyes  rested  on  her  plate,  but  whose  face,  it  seemed 
to  him,  showed  a  glimmer  of  amusement  beneath  its  quiet. 

"  There  was  '  Scott '  in  large  gilt  letters  on  the  back  of  the 
book  where  /  saw  your  rhymes,"  she  replied  simply.  "  It  was 
an  old  college  prize  of  my  father's.  I  am  sure  I  cannot  be 


"He  Tempers  the  Wind  to  the  Shorn  Lamb."     109 

mistaken,   because  Teddy  is  fond  of  repeating  that  poem,  so 
that  I  had  it  often  in  my  ears." 

"  I  think  your  wife  is  right,  Sam  ;  in  fact,  I  know  she  is. 
And,  by  the  way,  I  should  like  to  propose  a  question  to  this 
highly  intelligent  group,  beginning,  of  course,  with  the  eldest  and 
wisest,"  said  Chandy,  bowing  to  the  dame.  "  I've  had  it 
asked  me  a  couple  of  times.  Whereabouts  in  the  Bible  do  you 
find  this  passage,  madam,  '  God  tempers  the  wind  to  the  shorn 
lamb '  ?  " 

"  I  should  say  Job,"  answered  the  widow,  reflectively. 

"  What  do  you  think,  Sam  ?" 

"  It  sounds  like  Job,"  replied  the  bridegroom,  who  was  uncon 
sciously  listening  to  hear  what  Perdita  would  say. 

<{  Now,  Mrs.  Slaughton — a  minister's  daughter — I  expect  to 
get  chapter  and  verse  from  you." 

"  Opposite  to  the  words,  I  remember  the  picture  of  a  pretty 
girl  sitting  under  the  trees,  holding  a  string  in  her  fingers,  which 
was  fastened  around  the  neck  of  a  little  dog  who  slept  at  her 
feet,  and  her  name  was  '  Maria.'  " 

"  And  there  isn't  any  Maria  in  the  Bible,  is  there,  madam  ?  " 
asked  Chandos  of  the  dame,  who  was  sourly  eying  her  new 
daughter. 

"  Humph  !  I  don't  really  suppose  you  know  whether  there  is 
or  not,"  answered  the  old  lady. 

As  for  Sam,  he  looked  across  at  the  young  girl  opposite  him. 
He  could  not  choose  but  look,  though  he  found  small  pleasure 
in  what  he  saw :  a  slender  creature,  in  a  simple,  quaint  dress, 
with  low,  full  body,  and  dainty  little  sleeves.  Her  long,  heavy 
hair,  plaited  in  thick  braids  which  reached  below  her  waist,  was 
tied  with  crimson  ribbons  which  the  hue  of  her  fresh  cheeks  out- 
rivalled.  Her  dark,  clear  skin  was  soft  and  smooth,  having  the 
down  of  youth  upon  it,  as  on  a  luscious  peach  just  ripened  in 
the  warm  sunshine  ;  her  lips  were  richly  colored,  deeply  bloom 
ing.  Such  a  childish,  bright  young  thing  she  looked,  so  simple, 
so  unfrizzed,  so  natural !  she  might  have  just  stepped  out  of 


1 10     "He  Tempers  the  Wind  to  the  Shorn  Lamb" 

a  frame,  quaint  and  picturesque,  with  the  wreath  of  sumach 
leaves  glistening  like  satin  around  her  head — (which  poor  Dolly 
had  placed  there,  in  fear  and  trembling,  after  her  most  signal 
defeat  in  other  wedding  adornments),  and  Teddy's  tea-roses 
upon  her  breast. 

Mr.  Slaughton  frowned,  as  he  contrasted  this  girl  who  had 
spoken  so  cuttingly  to  him  upstairs — who  was  talking  to  Chan- 
dos  in  such  a  pure  voice,  low  and  clear — who  behaved  to  his 
mind  so  pertly.  This  mere  child,  who  had  seen  no  society, 
knew  no  worldly  ways.  What  right  had  she  to  be  so  sufficient 
to  her  new  place,  when  he  felt  as  if  she  ought  to  be  embarrassed 
and  awkward?  And  he  half  wished  she  would  make  some 
faux  pas,  which  might  justify  the  aversion  and  repugnance  he 
felt  towards  her.  What  a  contrast  she  was  every  way  to  the 
ivory-white,  golden-haired  beauty  his  reveries  and  musings  were 
always  bringing  before  him,  adorned  and  glorified  with  the 
thousand  nameless  graces  which  had  made  her  the  one  and 
only  woman-delight  of  his  whole  life. 

The  amused,  interested  expression  on  his  friend's  face  vexed 
him.  He  well  knew  how  clear-sighted  and  discerning  was  this 
friend,  who  so  easily  chatted  with  the  stranger  with  whom  he 
might  almost  be  said  to  \>z  flirting ;  in  fact,  who  observed  also 
the  old  lady  eying  apprehensively  over  her  tea-cup  the  bride 
who  came  recommended  as  "  silent  and  obedient,"  and  who 
looked  not  exactly  resolute,  because  her  face  was  not  aggressive, 
but  who  was  assuming  the  dignities  of  the  position  into  which 
she  had  been  thrust,  as  if  she  knew  her  rights  and  was  able  to 
maintain  them. 

He  writhed  under  it  all,  and  he  sailed  into  the  talk,  secretly 
intending  to  keep  it  away  from  the  women,  a  project  in  which 
he  was  signally  defeated  by  Chandos,  who  constantly  included 
"  Mrs.  Slaughton"  in  his  remarks,  dwelling  on  the  name  and 
often  producing  it,  as  if  it  had  a  fascination  for  him,  which, 
indeed,  I  think  it  had. 

Modest  ?     Oh,  yes,  Perdita  was  modest,  but  retiring  !     No, 


"He  Tempers  t/u  Wind  to  the  Shorn  Lamb"      in 

I  cannot  say  she  was  retiring.  She  accepted  the  topics  which 
Chandy  offered  her  with  tolerable  ease,  and  much  more  self- 
command  than  could  have  been  expected  of  her,  and  she  showed 
some  knowledge  cf  nearly  all  of  them.  She  looked  candid  and 
sincere.  Once  in  a  while  her  large  eyes  suddenly  sparkled 
with  vivacity,  and  the  jetty  brows  which  arched  them  no  more 
helped  to  show  scorn  and  defiance.  Her  small  mouth  was  the 
only  feature  which  betrayed  uneasiness ;  it  drooped  at  the  corners, 
and  trembled  in  spite  of  her  sometimes,  as  she  began  to  speak. 

When  supper  was  over  there  was  a  bright  red  spot  on  each 
of  the  bridegroom's  cheeks,  and  the  perpendicular  line  in  the 
middle  of  his  forehead  was  more  marked  and  deeper  than  usual. 

Had  Perditabeen  anybody  else's  wife,  he  must  have  acknowl 
edged  her  not  only  pleasing,  but  engaging.  Her  figure  was  so 
symmetrical  that  it  needed  not  the  aid  of  corsets,  even  in  this 
plain  muslin,  and  her  arms  and  hands  were  certainly  faultless  in 
shape,  although  'tis  true  they  were  browned  by  exposure  to  the 
sun  and  wind,  and  her  fingers  were  a  little  hardened  with  use, 
and  there  were  plenty  of  needle-marks  on  them.  Had  they 
not  done  the  family  sewing,  made  the  family  bread,  and  cooked 
the  family  meals  ? 

Had  he  been  an  outsider,  like  Chandy,  he  might  very  likely 
have  found  amusement  in  the  querities  of  the  tea-table  and  the 
strange  attitudes  which  the  party  assembled  held  towards  each 
other.  As,  however,  it  was  his  own  life  which  was  in  question, 
it  is  not  surprising  that  he  not  only  saw  no  food  for  mirth,  but 
was  sorely  vexed  that  his  old  friend  could  see  any. 

He  experienced  not  a  jot  of  pity  for  his  mother,  so  speedily 
and  certainly  set  aside  and  dethroned,  and  her  rueful  appear 
ance  awakened  no  sympathy  in  his  breast.  Had  he  spoken  out 
what  he  felt,  he  would  very  likely  have  said,  "Good  enough  for 
her  !  "  One  thing  above  and  beyond  all  impressed  him  in  his 
bride's  behavior.  She  concerned  herself  not  in  the  slightest 
degree  about  him.  His  approbation  or  his  displeasure  carried 
no  weight  to  her  mind.  They  modified  not  in  the  remotest  par- 


112       "  Sit  on  the  Ground  and  tell  Sad  Stories" 

ticular  her  appearance,  her  words,  or  her  conduct.  Although 
that  was  the  very  positive  position  he  had  indicated  to  her  by 
his  remarks  upstairs,  it  nettled  him  that  she  was  so  ready  to 
assume  it,  and  it  is  quite  true  that  the  close  of  the  evening  meal 
found  him  as  much  out  of  harmony  with  the  wife  he  had  taken 
as  it  was  possible  for  him  to  be  with  any  woman  living. 


CHAPTER  XV. 

"LET  us  SIT  ON  THE  GROUND  AND  TELL  SAD  STORIES.' 

i 


S  soon  as  they  rose  from  the  table,  the  gen 
tlemen  walked  into  the  garden  to  smoke 
a  social  cigar,  and  Perdita  went  straight 
to  her  room. 

While  she  stood  by  the  open  window, 
gazing  into  the  moonlight,  yellow  and 
serene,  which  bathed  her  in  its  soft  efful 
gence,  thinking  such  strange  thoughts  as 
made  her  brain  whirl,  she  heard  voices  below  her,  and  caught 
distinctly  her  own  name. 

Poor  human  nature  would  not  permit  her  to  leave  the  place  till 
she  found  how  she  was  getting  treated  by  the  talkers.  Indeed, 
I  am  afraid  she  rather  craned  her  neck  that  she  might  catch  the 
exact  significance  of  every  word  they  uttered. 

"  Well,  Sam,  this  is  a  queer  world  !  Here  you,  who  raved 
over  auburn  tresses  and  milk-white  maids,  who  saw  only  Sabrina 
divinely  fair,  who  sniffed  at  black-browed  beauties,  counting  even 
my  Bertha  too  dark  to  please  you,  and  Peace  Pelican's  brunette 
dash  and  flash  unpleasant  and  repugnant,  have  at  last  selected 
a  lady  with  hair  and  eyes  which  out-Ethiop  even  poor  little 
Dolores/' 


"  Sit  on  the  Ground  and  tell  Sad  Stories"       113 

"Selected  ! "  repeated  the  new  benedict  testily.  "  Yes,  so  it 
seems ;  a  clinging  little  vine,  is  she  not  ?  A  patient,  pains 
taking,  obedient  child,  who  never  had  any  will  of  her  own — at 
least,  that  was  the  character  which  came  with  her." 

"  What  an  odd  expression,  Sam  !  " 

"  Not  odder  than  beseems  the  odd  subject.  The  fact  is,  I 
am  likely  to  be  at  odds  with  the  lady  you  saw  opposite  to  me 
this  evening,  and  whom  you  gave  yourself  such  infinite  trouble 
to  entertain,  for  the  whole  of  the  balance  of  my  life." 

"  You  surprise  me  !     You  positively  alarm  me  !  " 

"  I  know  you  are  surprised,  Chandy,  and  I  know  that  you 
are  also  devoured  with  curiosity  to  find  the  clue  to  what  you 
have  seen  and  heard ;  and  I  am  going  to  tell  you  all  about  it. 
There  is  not  another  living  being  to  whom  I  would  open  my 
lips  but  you ;  and  I  have  shared  our  lives  too  closely  to  have 
many  secrets.  At  all  events,  I  want  to  talk  it  over  with  you, 
and  I'll  speak  once  for  all.  It  is  not  a  theme  to  which  I  ever 
desire  to  return,  I  assure  you.  I  married  my  wife  as  kings  get 
theirs  ;  the  royal  relatives  arranged  the  alliance,  and  much  good 
may  it  do  them." 

u  What,  Sam  ?  What,  old  fellow  ?  You  surely  do  not  mean 
me  to  understand  that  you  have  wedded  a  woman  without 
courting  her  ;  that  you  don't  care  for  your  wife  !  " 

"You  do  your  remarkably  clear  penetration  injustice,  Chan- 
dos,  to  pretend  that  you  have  not  already  discovered  that 
patent  fact ;  you  found  it  out  the  same  instant  that  your  eyes 
lighted  on  her." 

"  I  certainly  did  observe  something  unusual,  Sam,  I  won't 
deny  that ;  but  I  know  there  do  arise  clouds  on  the  matri 
monial  horizon  ;  they  ascend  in  haste,  their  currents  move  by 
no  fixed  laws.  But,  Sam,  a  man  of  your  sound  sense  and  ex 
cellent  ideas,  and  above  all,  your  abominable  laziness  !  You 
are  the  very  last  in  the  world  whom  I  should  expect  to  find  out 
of  perpendicular  with  yourself." 

"  That's  just  it.     Sense  gets  muddled  with  eternal  dropping, 


114      "  Sit  on  the  Ground  and  tell  Sad  Stories" 

and  ideas  go  for  nothing ;  and  laziness  has  quite  finished  me. 
The  fact  is,  my  mother  became  possessed  of  a  most  unaccount 
able  whim — she  would  have  me  married  !  And  as  I  got  weary 
of  the  din  and  clatter  over  it,  I  finally  told  her,  if  she  could 
pick  out  a  girl  to  suit  her  and  manage  a  wedding  without  any 
wooing,  I  would  not  refuse  any  longer ;  you  have  seen  the  re 
sult  of  her  efforts — they  culminated  in  yonder.  By  Jove  ! 
Chandos.  I  did  not  think  I  could  by  any  means  get  tied  for 
life  to  a  woman  I  nev.er  asked  to  have  me,  to  whom  I  never 
spoke  seven  sentences,  nor  looked  at  seven  times.  But,  I'm 
fast ;  I'm  caught  in  the  net  of  matrimony  just  as  sure  as  you 
stand  there.  Absurd,  isn't  it  ?  " 

"  Sam,  I  believe  you  are  admirably  mated.  She  is  a  most 
lustrous  creature  ;  a  strong  character,  too,  quite  able  to  inter 
est  you  if  you  make  it  worth  her  while  to  try.  I'll  wager  any 
thing  that,  queerly  as  you  have  begun,  a  whole  month  won't 
pass  before  you  are  head  over  ears  in  love  with  your  wife." 

"  Chandos,  Sabrina  Bradshaw  is  the  only  woman  I  ever  saw 
worth  loving.  You  know  I  am  a  constant  man  in  my  friend 
ships  ;  I  am  constant  also  in  my  love.  I  gave  my  heart  to  a 
lady  ten  years  ago — she  has  it  still.  I  never  meant  to  say  so 
much  as  that  to  any  living  being.  I  loved  not  wisely,  as  I  found 
out ;  but  I  loved  for  all  time." 

To  the  listener's  ears  her  husband's  voice  took  a  deeper  tone, 
and  it  seemed  to  convey  to  them  an  unmistakable  truth,  which 
must  have  been  also  a  bitter  sorrow,  if  she  had  ever  for  a 
moment  turned  towards  him  her  heart  or  her  wishes.  As  it 
was,  her  cheeks  burned,  and  they  kindled  deeper  still  when  he 
spoke  again. 

"  My  spouse  does  not  much  resemble  that  beauty,  does  she  ? 
As  much  as  darkness  resembles  light.  However,  it  matters  but 
little.  My  mother,  who  never  rested  till  she  pushed  the  young 
woman  into  this  house,  must  get  what  comfort  she  can  out  of 
her  investment ;  as  for  me,  I  shall  try  if  I  can't  kill  tigers,  and 
maybe  myself,  in  Timbuctoo." 


"  Sit  on  the  Ground  and  tell  Sad  Stories."       115 

"  She  is  of  good  family,  I  know,"  said  Chandy  musingly ; 
"she  proves  that  by  every  motion,  every  look,  past  doubt." 

"  The  blood  is  well  enough,  for  all  I  know.  The  mother  is 
a  poor,  timid  creature,  afraid  of  her  shadow.  And  as  for  Papa 
Hethwaite,  I  believe  the  devil  owed  me  a  grudge,  and  paid  me 
off  in  a  father-in-law,  for  a  more  dogmatic,  abominable  old 
bear  I  never  met  in  my  life." 

"  Sam,  my  dear  old  friend,  you  shock  me.  It  sounds  a  deal 
worse  to  hear  you  go  on  like  this  than  it  would  anybody  else ; 
you  are  such  a  genial,  live-and-let-live  old  chap  !  I  don't  like 
it.  Your  life  is  spoiled  unless  you  take  a  bit  of  advice  I'm 
going  to  give  you.  No,  no,  don't  shrug  your  shoulders  that 
way.  You  are  too  valuable  a  man  to  lose.  We  can't  spare 
you.  Stay  at  home,  Sam.  Be  a  family  man.  Woo  your  wife, 
win  her ;  she  is  richly  worth  your  while,  I  do  honestly  believe. 
I  have  been  more  than  astonished  at  her  this  evening.  There 
is  not  one  girl  in  a  thousand  that  in  her  place  would  have  sus 
tained  the  rude  ordeal  so  well ;  and,  upon  my  soul,  Sam, 
there's  no  other  course  left  you  as  a  man  of  honor.  If  you  had 
not  allowed  her  to  come  here,  some  other  fellow  might,  very 
certainly  would,  have  taken  her  and  made  her  happy." 

"  Exactly  the  argument  I  used,  Chandy  ;  I  made  plain  to  her 
that  very  thing.  No,  I  will  do  her  the  justice  to  say  she  never 
got  my  letter.  There  is  rigid  truth  in  her  face,  if  it  don't  suit  me. 
She  told  me  she  did  not ;  and  I  believe  her.  But  you  are  mis 
taken  in  your  premises,  Chandy.  She  has  taken  some  trouble 
this  afternoon  to  make  me  understand  what  she  wants.  She 
left  me  no  chance  to  act  for  myself,-  and  if  I  was  dying  of 
love  for  her,  I  would  not  alter  my  course  by  the  estimation  of 
a  hair.  Console  yourself,  the  young  woman  craves  none  of 
my  affection  ;  she  declines  all  attentions." 

"  Who  can  blame  her  ? "  said  Chandy  (secretly  amused  at 
his  friend's  evident  irritation  and  chagrin,  and  imagining  how 
proud  and  perhaps  contemptuous  Perdita  might  be  able  to  show 
herself  under  her  very  provoking  and  mortifying  circumstances), 


1 1 6       "  Sit  on  the  Ground  and  tell  Sad  Stories" 

"  and  as  she  had  proper  spirit  to  withdraw  from  trespassing  on 
you,  it  is  your  plain  duty,  and  ought  to  be  your  pleasure,  to 
pursue  her  with  your  most  winning  smiles." 

"  Winning  smiles  !  Not  if  I  know  myself.  No,  Chandy.  I 
am  disinclined  in  that  direction  ;  but  if  kind  Fate  had  given 
me  Sabrina  Bradshaw,  I  would  have  been  the  most  devoted 
slave  woman  ever  had.  As  it  is,  I  have  no  interest  here  except 
to  pay  the  family  bills." 

"  But,  Sam,  that  old  love  ought  to  be  dead  and  forgotten. 
Sabrina " 

"  Oh,  yes,  of  course.  I  understand  all  that.  Millions  of 
words  won't  render  it  any  plainer.  I  lost  my  chance  ;  never 
had  any,  in  fact.  But  that  does  not  make  me  ready  to  pick 
up  a  new  love — least  and  last  of  all,  such  an  one  as  this  which 
has  been  pushed  and  dragged  into  my  notice.  If  I  ever  could 
fancy  a  girl,  I'd  have  my  little  romance  over  it.  I  would  not 
select  a  wife  as  I  would  a  cow,  for  her  good  points.  I  would 
be  as  sentimental  as  any  other  fool.  I'd  make  eyes,  and  sigh, 
and  talk  nonsense ;  give  gifts,  and  glean  the  most  from  the 
situation.  Even  that  possibility  is  blotted  out.  I  mustn't  dare 
to  dream  that  I  could  be  spooney  on  a  pretty  girl.  I've  got  a 
wife,  Lord  bless  her  !  Do  you  remember  the  '  Ruth'  I  painted 
up  at  Craigenfels  ?  " 

"  Indeed,  yes.  Bertha  sat  to  me  also.  Yours  was  a  picture 
of  rare  merit  and  finish,  and  an  admirable  likeness,  I  should 
be  glad  to  see  it  again." 

"  I'll  show  it  to  you,  and  another  of  her  as  she  looked  at  the 
Christmas  Eve  supper,  when  she  waited  on  the  mission  choir." 

"Yes;  I  remember  the  evening  well.  She  had  a  spurt  of  a 
quarrel  with  my  brother-in-law.  Sabrina  had  a  temper  which 
was  not  the  '  very  dove  and  blessed  spirit  of  peace."  Well, 
Bertha's  '  Ruth'  hangs  in  our  best  parlor ;  she  thinks  the  world 
of  it." 

"  There  is  nobody  who  thinks  the  world  of  my  poor  efforts  ; 
so  I  keep  them  in  my  den.  I've  got  the  Amy  Robsart  there 


"  Sit  on  the  Ground  and  tell  Sad  Stories"       117 

too,  Chandos  ! ''  broke  out  his  friend  with  sudden  vehemence. 
"What  a 'life  I  might  have  had  with  that  woman.  How  rich 
and  full  and  complete  might  have  been  all  these  dull,  flavor 
less  days,  which  have  gone  on  just  dropping  and  dropping  with 
out  any  worth.  You  got  your  Ruth  for  the  asking ;  why 
couldn't  I  have  got  mine  ?  " 

"Sam,  I  really  must  protest.  This  dwelling  on  the  memory 
of  a  lady  who  never  could  be  your  wife  is  really  monstrous." 

"  Do  you  remember  her  on  that  famous  horseback  excur 
sion  ?  "  continued  the  speaker,  as  if  he  had  not  heard  the  inter 
ruption,  as  very  likely  he  had  not.  "  Such  a  figure  !  Such  a 
regal  head  !  Such  glances  of  fire  !  Such  smiles,  such  perfec 
tion  in  riding  !  Such  a  delicate,  true  hand,  altogether  superb  ! 
I  am  very  fond  of  horses,  Chandy,"  he  ended,  with  a  sigh. 

"  I  have  a  happy  thought,  Sam ;  you  shall  teach  Mrs. 
Slaughton  to  ride ;  that  will  be  an  admirable  opening  for  a 
better  understanding  between  you." 

"  No,  thank  you,  sir  ;  excuse  me,  if  you  please.  I  could  not 
think  of  teaching  that  girl  anything  ;  I  don't  fancy  playing 
Petruchio  to  such  an  Ethiop  Kate.  You  remember  I  wanted 
to  play  Benedict  to  Sabrina  Bradshaw  that  Christmas,  and  I  got 
cut  out  of  the  part." 

"  Now,  my  dear  boy,  don't  be  offended,  but  such  rhapsodies, 
such  perverse  and  continual  harping  on  that  theme,  is  far  from 
pleasant.  I  hate  to  see  you  show  this  wilful  disregard  and 
studied  and  intentional  neglect  of  what  you  can  have.  It  is  a 
bitter  wrong  to  the  poor  child  in  there.  It  is  not  like  you, 
Sam  !  Dear,  true-hearted  old  chap.  I  can't  bear  to  think  of 
it." 

"  Don't  preach,  Chandos  ;  or  if  you  must  hold  forth,  I  advise 
you  to  take  Solomon's  wisdom  for  your  text :  '  Vanity  of 
vanities.'  My  pipe  and  I  must  be  better  friends  than  ever, 
that's  the  upshot  of  it  all." 

"Well,  Sam,  here's  my  hand.  I  sincerely  hope  you  will  live 
to  the  time  when  you'll  promenade  up  and  down  your  apart- 


n8  Only  Housekeeper  and  Governess. 

ment  in  your  roaming  toga,  with  your  child  in  your  arms,  as  I 
have  done  often  and  often,  and  get  solid  enjoyment  out  of  the 
goodly  possession  which  is  testing  the  muscles  of  them." 

Mr.  Slaughton's  thoughts  turned  involuntarily  to  the  little  room 
upstairs,  which  his  mother  had  showed  him,  and  as  he  remem 
bered  her  words  and  instmctions,  he  shrugged  his  shoulders. 

"  Timbuctoo,  or  No  Man's  Land,  or  the  antipodes,  or  any 
where  but  here,  Chandos.  Another  month  will  find  me  a 
wanderer." 

"  A  month  is  thirty  days ;  that  is  thirty  chances  for  you  to 
change  your  mind." 

<{  Let's  walk  down  to  the  pond,  Chandy,  and  change  the 
subject." 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

ONLY  HOUSEKEEPER  AND  GOVERNESS. 


ERDITA  stood  still  at  the  window  long 
after  the  friends  had  vanished  from  her 
sight. 

Anger  and  mortification  filled  her  soul 
to  be  thus  discussed,  and  disavowed,  and 
dismissed,  as  too  poor  in  charms  or  qual 
ities  to  awaken  even  esteem.  It  was  a 
phase  of  the  subject  upon  which  she  had  not  dwelt  during  the 
few  days  which  had  been  allowed  her  before  the  consummation 
of  her  fate.  Marriage  was  a  very  hum-drum  affair  to  the  best  of 
her  knowledge,  and  no  expectation  of  it  for  herself  had  ever 
come  to  her,  till  suddenly  one  day  she  was  told  to  be  ready. 
Betty  was  her  object  in  the  enforced  bargain  to  which  she  had 


Only  Housekeeper  and  Governess.  '   1 19 

been  a  silent  party.  Her  mother's  talk  had  dwelt,  not  on  the 
man,  but  the  place ;  her  thoughts  had  centred  in  the  child,  the 
confluence  and  focus  of  her  passionate  'devotion.  Betty's 
safety,  Betty's  comfort,  Betty's  future,  were  constantly  before 
her,  and  furnished  sufficient  motives  for  any  sacrifice  or  suffer 
ing  she  was  capable  of. 

Now,  for  the  first  time,  she  let  her  imagination  wander 
among  the  delights  of  a  home  she  might  have  shared  with  a 
true  man  who  truly  loved  her  ;  she  could  see  her  husband  while 
he  talked,  down  there  in  the  garden  ;  the  yellow  moonlight  was 
shining  on  his  face  so  that  its  features  were  distinctly  beneath 
her  vision.  Tall,  muscular,  graceful,  he  carried  about  him  a 
certain  consciousness  of  finished  manhood  which  has  tested  its 
powers  and  has  full  faith  in  them.  Such  a  gentleman  as  might 
be  worthy  a  woman's  admiration.  Why  should  he  have  failed 
in  securing  that  wonderful  creature  called  Sabrina  ?  Men  who 
have  all  the  right  of  choice  should  be  successful ;  through  what 
vital  error  had  he  missed  his  happiness  ?  Her  thoughts  forsook 
herself  in  their  play  about  those  two.  "  Ivory-white,  with 
golden  hair."  Every  word  of  the  conversation  was  burned  in 
to  her  memory,  ineffaceably  branded  there.  She  had  sat  for 
her  picture  as  Ruth,  as  Amy  Robsart.  Then  and  there  she 
had  been  beautiful.  She  had  presided  at  a  feast,  this  Sabrina, 
(how  well  she  remembered  the  name  as  it  sounded  when  spoken 
by  her  husband  !)  There  she  had  been  gracious.  She  had  a 
matchless  form,  and  a  regal  head,  glances  of  fire,  adorable 
smiles ;  she  was  altogether  superb.  That  had  been  the  tenor 
of  her  husband's  praises,  such  his  summing  up.  What  a  loss  to 
lose  such  a  rare  creature  !  " 

She  recalled  his  observations  on  her  own  family  as  well  as 
herself;  they  had  been  undervalued  en  masse. 

When  she  retired  from  the  window  she  took  with  her  more 
bitterness  and  unrest  than  she  had  ever  felt  in  her  old  home  at 
its  bleakest ;  and  above  and  beyond  every  other  emotion  was 
resentment  against  the  man  who  had,  through  inertia  and  selfish 


I2O  Only  Housekeeper  and  Governess. 

carelessness,  allowed  himself  to  be  fettered  to  her.  His  con 
duct  seemed  wicked  and  monstrous  in  the  new  light  she  had 
received  on  probabilities  and  realities  among  men  and  women 
who  do  love  each  other,  and  choose  each  other  for  better,  for 
worse. 

"  He  has  not  kept  to  the  spirit  of  our  agreement,"  she  thought. 
"  There  is  not  a  woman  living  with  whom  I  would  discuss  our 
mutual  relations,  sorry  as  they  are;"  and  yet  he  could  cooley 
talk  them  over  with  this  other  man,  as  gossips  prate  over  their 
knitting.  Now,  to-morrow  I  must  show  myself  to  them — I,  the 
despised  wife,  to  the  master  who  bought  his  slave  and  finds  her 
so  poor  a  bargain  that  he  will  travel  to  the  ends  of  the  earth  to 
get  out  of  sight  and  hearing  of  her.  I  must  walk  before  them 
with  an  untroubled  face,  and  then  the  stranger  will  carry  the 
pitiful  tale  home  to  his  wife  whom  he  loves — Bertha,  who  is  not 
ivory  white  or  golden-haired,  and  is  a  happy  wife  in  spite  of 
such  shameful  defects.  Some  man  might  have  taken  me  ;  he 
said  so.  Have  I  made  a  blunder  in  keeping  silence  ?  Ought 
I  to  have  stood  out  and  fought  for  my  life  ?  No.  I  will  have 
my  Betty.  I  will  shield  her  and  keep  her  safe  from  father. 
That  will  pay  me  for  everything." 

She  walked  about  the  chamber,  examining  its  furniture, 
handsome,  solid,  even  elegant,  her  home  for  the  future.  She 
had  no  bridal  finery  to  arrange  or  admire  ;  the  pomp  and  cir 
cumstance  of  glorious  weddings  had  no  part  in  her  thoughts. 
She  opened  the  little  old  trunk  which  had  travelled  to  the 
Chocktaw  settlement  and  back  again,  and  put  away  her  few 
simple  garments  in  the  stately  bureau,  laying  out  the  plain 
gingham  and  white  apron  trimmed  with  the  tatting  she  had  made 
in  winter  evenings,  stealing  for  it  the  time,  because  it  seemed 
necessary  to  gratify  in  small  measure  her  love  of  ornament  and 
finish. 

She  carefully  removed  the  sumac  wreath,  and  as  she  held 
it  a  moment  in  her  hands,  caressing  with  gentle  touch  its 
bright  leaves,  she  sighed. 


Only  Housekeeper  and  Governess.  121 

"  Poor  Dolly  !  maybe  she  will  get  a  husband  who  will  praise 
her  a  little,  and  not  shut  the  door  of  his  heart  against  her,  so 
that,  if  she  desires  to  enter,  she  cannot." 

She  laid  Teddy's  roses  away  after  a  smell  at  their  fragrance. 
It  seemed  to  her  a  pity  that  their  freshness  was  so  fleeting  ; 
because  they  were  the  one  treasure  he  had  been  able  to  sacrifice 
to  her,  and  she  would  have  been  glad  to  have  it  immortal. 

A  misty  shadowing  of  new  knowledge  had  dawned  dimly 
upon  her.  The  life  of  books  might  be  a  real  life  under  certain 
favorable  conditions.  It  was  nearly  certain,  in  the  light  of 
recent  revelations,  that  all  wives  were  not  drudges  or  machines  ; 
there  were  fortunate  ones  who  came  into  the  world  to  be 
approved,  commended,  admired,  even  worshipped ;  but  it  was 
an  existence  in  which  she  had  no  share.  The  ceremony  of 
the  day  made  her  a  housekeeper  and  a  governess. 

The  folding-doors  between  hers  and  the  bridegroom's  rooms 
stood  open.  She  quietly  closed  and  locked  them,  and  stepped 
softly  about  hither  and  thither,  thinking,  trying  to  steady  her 
purposes  and  mark  out  the  line  of  conduct  she  would  take  ; 
trying  to  know  herself  and  feel  her  strength,  so  as  to  be  ready 
for  what  the  morrow,  and  on  ahead  of  that  other  morrows,  might 
bring  her,  and  what  she  had  got  to  meet  and  face  alone, 
unfriended,  seeking  neither  advice  nor  sympathy. 

After  a  while  she  heard  the  two  gentlemen  come  up  stairs. 
They  lingered  a  while  in  Chandy's  room,  still  chatting.  She 
caught  herself  in  a  bitter  surprise  that  men  could  have  so  much 
to  say  to  each  other.  When  Teddy  talked,  it  was  to  her. 

They  exchanged  "  good-nights  "  at  last,  and  Mr.  Slaughton 
walked  slowly  back  to  his  own  door,  which  he  entered,  closing 
it  behind  him  ;  and  this  was  the  end  of  the  wedding-day  which 
the  sun  shone  on. 
6 


122     "A  Beautiful  Woman  Commands  the  Gods." 
CHAPTER  XVII. 

"A   BEAUTIFUL  WOMAN   COMMANDS   THE    GODS." 


HE  next  morning,  at  the  breakfast  table, 
Chandos  broached  the  object  of  his 
journey :  certain  views  among  these 
high-lying  counties  which  he  desired  to 
put  on  canvas. 

"  Under  your  peculiar  circumstances, 
Sam,"  said  he,  "  I  can't  think  of  bringing 
out  a  proposition  I  had  in  my  mind  when  I  started  from  Roar 
ing  River.  It  says  in  the  Bible,  a  newly-married  man  shall 
stay  at  home  one  year  and  comfort  his  wife.  I  will  not  be  so 
barbarous  as  to  ask  you  to  join  in  my  wanderings.  I  won't,  I 
assure  you,  Mrs.  Slaughton,"  he  continued,  with  a  bow  to  the 
head  of  the  table.  "  I  do  perceive  you  bear  a  gentle  mind, 
and  heavenly  blessings  follow  such  creatures ;  a  husband 
should  be  a  blessing  ;  therefore  he  ought  to  be  your  very 
shadow." 

"  I  do  not  know  fully  what  kind  of  thanks  'tis  meet  that  I 
should  render  for  your  good  opinion,  sir ;  more  than  my  all  is 
nothing,  my  prayers  are  words  not  duly  hallowed,  my  wishes 
are  but  empty  words.  Yet  prayers  and  wishes  are  all  I  can 
return." 

Perdita  made  her  answer  with  her  hands  busy  among  her 
cups,  and  her  eyes  intent  upon  the  amber  stream  of  coffee 
she  was  drawing  from  the  silver  urn.  She  made  it  in  a  soft, 
smooth  voice,  easy-flowing  and  natural.  She  was  rather  pale 
and  had  light  circles  of  purple  around  her  eyes,  as  if  she  might 
have  been  weeping  ;  but  she  was  quite  composed  and  mistress 
of  her  motions,  attending  to  the  business  of  the  table  with  care- 
fnl  consideration  and  modest  politeness. 


"A  Beatrtiful  Woman  Commands  the  Gods.11    123 

Dame  Slaughton  stared  openly  at  her,  while  she  spoke  to 
Chanch/,  as  if  she  suspected  her  of  mental  aberration.  Her  son's 
color  rose  as  he  listened,  and  he  nearly  stared  at  mischievous 
Chandy,  who  was  extremely  urbane  and  bland,  and  evidently 
contemplated  amusing  himself  further  with  experiments  on  the 
self-control  of  the  couple  whom  he  was  treating  as  if  he  con 
sidered  them  the  ardent  lovers  the  recent  nuptials  ought  to 
have  found  them. 

The  host  cut  rather  pointedly  into  the  conversation  before 
his  guest  had  time  to  bring  out  any  more  quotations  from  his 
faithful  friend  and  ally  "  Billy  Shakes,"  by  expatiating  on  the 
beauties  of  scenery  abounding  in  their  neighborhood. 

"  You  seek  autumn  tints ;  we  have  them  in  perfection ; 
there's  the  old  mill  just  in  the  picturesqueness  of  ruin,  bitter 
sweet  climbing  all  over  its  rafters,  green  moss  dotting  its  roof, 
and  a  little  brook  trickling  down  the  rotting  race ;  we'll  go 
there  this  very  morning." 

"  Have  I  Mrs.  Slaughton's  gracious  permission  ?  I  am  too 
well  trained  a  benedict  to  venture  far  till  I  know  the  mood  of 
my  hostess." 

"  Of  course,  Mr.  Goldsmith,"  spoke  up  the  dame,  "  do  stay, 
we  shall  be  delighted,  I'm  sure." 

Chandy  had  a  great  mind  to  make  Perdita  speak  ;  his  ques 
tion  had  been  addressed  to  her.  It  might  have  been  pity  for 
her  blushes  which  withheld  him.  It  certainly  was  not  compas 
sion  for  his  friend,  whose  dissatisfaction  was  patent,  which 
induced  him  to  change  the  subject. 

"  What  delicious  fish-balls,"  he  exclaimed.  "  I  never  ate  any 
so  good  in  my  life.  When  I  was  in  Paris  with  Johnny  Hawx- 
hurst,  he  used  to  walk  five  miles  of  a  morning  to  get  an 
American  breakfast  of  these  things.  He  tried  to  coax  me  to 
go  with  him.  Upon  my  word,  such  plump,  delicate,  brown  pats, 
are  worth  a  tramp  of  double  that  !  I  never  have  been  much 
addicted  to  the  use  of  codfish,  but  I  confess  I  did  not  know 
what  excellence  it  was  capable  of.  Give  me  another,  please, 


124     "A  Beautiful  Woman  Commands  the  Gods" 

Sam.  Mrs.  Slaughter),  I  am  glad  you  find  so  good  a  cook  all 
ready  to  your  hand.  I  believe  I  am  familiar  with  the  trials  of 
housekeepers.  Bertha  pours  them  into  my  devoted  ears  some 
times." 

A  very  peculiar  expression  flitted  over  Perdita's  face.  Her 
talk  with  Teddy  came  to  her  mind,  and  the  absurd  reason  she 
had  given  him  for  not  rebelling  against  this  marriage. 

"  I'm  weary  of  keeping  lent,  Teddy.  I  have  an  excellent 
appetite,  I  want  meat."  A  vision  of  her  father's  family  sitting 
down  that  very  morning,  probably  to  a  meal  of  the  same  com 
estible  Mr.  Goldsmith  was  so  highly  lauding,  and  the  various 
signs  of  lean,  grinding  poverty  in  its  partakers  which  made  it 
necessary,  arose  before  her.  As  she  looked  up  she  caught  her 
husband's  eyes  studying  her  ;  but  she  had  no  idea  how  her 
reply  would  gall  him,  and  she  made  it  without  malice  prepense. 

"  Thank  you,  sir ;  I  am  pleased  that  they  suit  you.  They  are 
the  result  of  steady  practice,  I  assure  you.  Where  cheapness 
is  the  prime  object  of  life,  it  becomes  important  to  understand 
cooking  inexpensive  dishes  in  the  most  palatable  manner." 

"Yes,  Perdita,  they  are  nice,"  said  Dame  Slaughton,  taking 
the  compliments  to  herself.  "  Oh,  I  knew  you  was  a  good  cook. 
Your  mother  told  me  what  you  could  do,"  she  went  on,  as  if 
praising  a  new  servant.  •'  I  asked  plenty  of  questions,  and  I 
got  first-rate  answers." 

Mr.  Slaughton'  was  exceedingly  displeased.  Although  he 
was  indifferent  to  the  woman  opposite  to  him,  it  did  not  suit 
his  ideas  of  his  own  dignity  that  she  should  descend  to  the 
kitchen  and  cook  his  breakfast  on  her  first  morning  in  his  house, 
as  if  she  was  the  purchased  slave  of  an  Ashantee  chief;  and  he 
felt  his  mother's  manner  to  her  an  insult  which  included  him, 
especially  in  Chandy's  hearing,  in  whose  elegant  home  he 
had  been  a  frequent  guest.  Chandy,  whose  lady-wife  presided 
over  her  costly  appointments  as  a  rich  man's  wife  should,  mis 
tress,  director  ;  setting  tasks,  not  performing  them  ;  and  it  was 
an  effort  for  him  to  hold  fast  to  his  resolution  not  to  interfere 


"A  Beautiful  Woman  Commands  the  Gods"     125 

with  the  internal  economy  of  the  household  his  mother  had 
chosen  4x>  institute. 

"  I  must  take  home  to  Bertha  an  elaborate  account  of  your 
housekeeping,  Mrs.  Slaughton.  I  shall  hold  you  up  before  her 
as  a  bright  and  shining  light — a  model  for  her  imitation." 

The  host  really  could  not  make  up  his  mind  whether  his 
friend  was  trying  to  make  things  pleasant,  or  was  mischievously 
amusing  himself  at  the  expense  of  his  entertainers.  He  looked 
as  bland  and  amiable  as  a  Dutch  doll,  and  ate  away  at  his  fish 
cakes  and  sipped  his  coffee  with  as  appreciative  gusto  as  if  it 
had  been  a  breakfast  at  John  John's,  the  prince  of  caterers, 
whom  the  travellers  had  been  used  to  patronize  and  praise 
when  they  were  roving  bachelors. 

."  Oh,  yes,"  spoke  up  the  dame,  "oh,  yes,  indeed.  Perdita 
takes  right  hold.  This  is  Hannah's  scouring  day,  and  unless 
she  gets  at  it  early  she  is  apt  to  be  late,  and  that  clutters  up 
things  towards  night  so.  I  told  Perdita  about  the  way  I  liked 
to  have  a  girl  do,  and  she  said  she  could  make  good  fish-balls  ; 
so  I  had  her  do  them." 

The  young  wife  saw  how  her  husband  was  writhing  under 
these  revelations  of  domestic  economies  and  smart  thrifts, 
which  burst  on  him  in  such  an  abominable  light,  with  exquisite 
Chandos  for  fellow-listener,  and  she  restrained  her  inclination  to 
stab  him  in  a  fresh  place,  as  she  had  an  opportunity  to  do  by 
further  interesting  developments  of  the  service  and  duties 
which  had  been  already  laid  upon  her ;  but  she  refrained,  not 
from  patient  acceptance  of  the  dame's  patronage,  or  out  of  re 
gard  to  her  husband's  feelings,  but  simply  because  she  meant 
to  hold  her  resolution  to  move  quietly  in  the  path  she  un 
derstood  herself  pledged  to,  by  the  talk  and  explanation  at 
the  stair-head  when  little  Betty's  future  life  had  been  tacitly 
decided. 

She  saw  also  as  plainly  as  Mr.  Goldsmith  saw  it,  that  the 
bridegroom  winced  every  time  her  new  name  was  brought  out. 
She  wondered  at  the  audacious  daring  which  went  on  so  need- 


126    "A  Beautiful  Wow  an  Commands  the  Gods" 

lessly  repeating  the  "  Mrs.  Slaughtons  "  in  his  talk  ;  and  which 
adopted  such  a  manner  towards  them,  ignoring  anything  strange 
or  trying  in  her  position  ;  treating  all  parties  as  if  the  marriage 
had  been  a  love-match  ;  and  she  almost  felt  as  if  he  must  be 
drawing  her  out  for  his  amusement  right  under  the  husband's 
nose,  and  in  defiance  of  his  very  evident  uneasiness  and  the 
expression  of  undone  infelicity  every  reminder  of  his  fresh  ties 
brought  to  his  face. 

She  wondered  how  the  guest  could  be  so  gay  and  chatty 
among  such  incongruous  people.  Very  handsome  and  enter 
taining  she  found  him,  to  be  sure.  (What  woman,  young  or  old, 
ever  failed  to  like  our  spoiled  Chandy  ?)  And  she  was  the  least 
bit  in  the  world  secretly  amused,  naive  and  inexperienced  as  she 
was,  with  the  lazy  grace  and  careless  ease  with  which  he  put 
himself  on  a  friendly  footing  with  her ;  until  a  certain  look  she 
had  caught  in  his  eyes — just  as  he  stooped  to  kiss  her  on  the 
threshold — teazing,  saucy,  merry,  flooded  them  afresh  with  a 
laughing  remark  he  addressed  to  her,  sent  the  blood  to  her 
cheeks  in  a  painful  blush  and  tied  her  tongue  with  silence. 

She  acquitted  herself  very  tolerably,  however,  through  the 
first  breakfast.  She  talked,  and  listened,  and  smiled  a  little  ; 
Mr.  Slaughton  also  listened  and  he  did  not  smile.  He  sat 
stiffly,  getting  redder  and  redder,  recalling  with  every  tone  of 
her  voice  what  she  had  said  to  him  yesterday  ;  and  how  dark, 
and  positive,  and  unfaltering  she  had  looked  ;  and  how  vivid 
like  a  rose  ;  how  straight  like  a  reed  she  was ;  how  still-black 
her  eyes  had  been  while  she  said,  "  It  is  for  my  sister  Betty 
that  I  am  willing  to  be  true ;  for  her  I  am  ready  to  count  all 
things  valueless,  and  myself  as  nothing." 

He  was  not  able  to  cease  looking  at  her  either,  even  while  he 
felt  with  concentrated  bitterness  that  his  mother  could  not  by 
any  means  have  lighted  on  a  more  disagreeable  choice. 


"House  Goes  Mad  when  Women  Gad."         127 

CHAPTER  XVIII. 
"HOUSE  GOES  MAD  WHEN  WOMEN  GAD." 


HERE  are  you  going,  Perdita  ?  "  asked  the 
widow,  who  met  the  young  girl  in  the 
hall  with  her  hat  on. 

"  Only  for  a  walk,  ma'am,"  she  replied 
concisely. 

"  Indeed  ?  how  queer  !  That  don't 
seem  to  be  necessary,  does  it  ?  I  never 
think  of  stirring  out  of  the  house  till  the  work  is  all  done  up, 
and  Hannah  is  so  dreadfully  busy  to-day,  and  there's  company 
besides.  I  thought  maybe  you'd  see  to  his  room  the  first  thing 
after  breakfast. 

"  I  did,  ma'am  ;  it  is  all  tidied,  as  are  the  other  chambers." 
"  Oh,  I  want  to  know !     Well,  you  have  been  spry  !     Did 
you  dust  and  pick  up  ?  " 
"  Yes,  ma'am." 

"  Don't  you  think  it  seems  a  little  kinder  shiftless  to  go  tril- 
licking  off  in  the  morning  so  ?  1  mind  me  of  the  old  proverb, 
'  House  goes  mad  when  women  gad.'  " 

"  Perhaps  it  may  ;  but  as  I  have  an  especial  reason  for  going, 
I  shall  not  allow  specious  appearances  to  influence  me." 

"You  are  married  now, you  know,  and  keeping  house.  You 
are  not  a  free  maid  any  more,  to  run  about  and  do  nothing. 
Women  have  to  settle  down  and  be  steady  when  they  get 
mairied." 

"  I  do  not  feel  inclined  to  be  riotous.  I  fully  intend  to  keep 
this  house  ;  that  is  what  I  came  here  for." 

"  Well,  don't  be  away  long.  I  lotted  on  going  through  the 
presses  and  closets  with  you  before  dinner,"  continued  the  dame 
sourly.  "  I  didn't  expect  you'd  be  leaving  me  in  the  lurch  like 
this." 


128          "House  Goes  Mad  when  Women  Gad'* 

"  The  inspection  will  keep,  I  dare  say  ;  to-morrow  will  be  as 
this  day,  probably,  and  much  more  abundant." 

"  It  is  a  bad  plan  to  speak  so  trifling  about  what's  in  the 
Holy  Bible.  I  don't  think  your  father  would  approve  to  hear 
you." 

"  My  father's  authority  over  me  ceased  yesterday,"  said  Per- 
dita  quietly. 

"Yes,  and  your  husband's  began,"  replied,  the  dame,  with 
quite  a  smart  accent. 

"  When  I  receive  his  commands  I  shall  endeavor  to  be  obe 
dient.  Would  you  advise  me  to  ask  his  leave  to  go  out  this 
morning  ?  " 

"Why,  no  ;  I  don't  know  as  it  is  necessary.  I  should  think 
my  wishes  would  be  enough,"  said  the  old  lady,  looking  grim 
and  disturbed  at  having  so  soon  come  in  contact  with  a  will 
belonging  decidedly  to  the  young  person  who  had  been  highly 
recommended  as  possessing  no  such  encumbrance. 

"  I  feel  quite  like  being  a  law  unto  myself  at  present,  ma'am." 
As  Perdita  made  this  announcement,  she  added  a  good-morning, 
and  shutting  the  door,  ran  swiftly  down  the  steps  and  out  into 
the  wide  road,  which  was  a  thoroughfare  and  belonged  to  every 
body  alike.  The  little  wordy  contest  had  not  tended  to  calm 
her  ruffled  spirits,  and  she  walked  on  very  fast,  trying  to  keep 
pace  with  her  tumultuously  hurrying  thoughts,  which  flew  fiercely 
and  wild,  defying  her  control. 

When  she  arrived  at  the  parsonage  she  found  her  mother 
alone.  The  doubtful,  scared  glance  she  gave  her  child  was  like 
the  look  the  Irish  mother  sent  to  the  girl  whom  she  had  mar 
ried  to  the  brown  man  who  came  to  the  shealing  courting  one 
stormy  night,  on  a  brown  horse,  followed  by  a  brown  dog — the 
eerie,  fearsome  gentleman  who  left  his  bride  o'  nights  to  feast 
in  the  churchyard  among  the  ghouls  : 

"  Whist,  Nora,  how  does  he  trate  ye,  an'  has  he  hit  ye  over 
the  head  wid  the  poker  yet  ?  " 

She  searched  Perdita' s  face,  as  if  dreading  and  almost  expect- 


"House  Goes  Mad  when  Women  Gad"         129 

ing  to  find  in  it  already  some  of  the  disappointed,  sorrowful 
lines  her  own  had  assumed  so  early.  They  were  not  there, 
however.  The  girl  glowed  with  her  rapid  walk,  and  no  signs 
of  self-depreciation  or  abasement  were  visible.  She  stood 
erect.  She  looked  purposeful,  and  spoke  with  decision. 

"  Mother,  where  is  father  ?  "  were  her  first  words. 

"  He's  gone  up  to  the  study.  I  haven't  seen  him  since 
breakfast.  He's  got  a  chance  to  preach  next  Sunday,  and  I 
suppose  he  is  looking  up  a  sermon." 

"  I  hope  he  will  stay  there,  because  I  want  to  speak  to  you. 
I  had  something  on  my  mind,  mother,  when  I  let  myself  be  tied 
to  that  man  " — she  jerked  her  head  in  the  direction  of  the  Slaugh- 
ton  mansion  house — "  something  I  meant  to  gain  by  it." 

"  Oh  yes,  Perdita  ;  and  now  that  you  have  got  such  a  nice 
position  and  plenty  of  money,  you  must  try  not  to  be  proud 
and  vainglorious ;  you  must  remember  the  hole  of  the  pit  from 
whence  you  was  digged,  and  be  humble  and  thankful." 

"  Pshaw,  mother  !  Leave  that  kind  of  talk  to  father.  .Betty 
is  the  subject  I  have  come  down  to  see  you  about ;  she  is  my 
object,  she  is  my  motive." 

Mrs.  Hethwaite  listened  in  open-eyed  astonishment  while  her 
daughter  went  on  with  earnest  rapidity,  unfolding  her  plan  and 
furnishing  the  key  to  her  passive  obedience. 

"  Oh,  deary  me  !  how  beautiful  it  would  be  !  "  said  she. 
"  Well,  sure  enough,  we  don't  know  much  what  is  in  other  folks' 
minds,  even  those  closest  to  us.  I  never  dreamed  of  such  a 
thing  being  in  yours,  I'm  sure.  I'm  most  afraid  you  won't  be 
able  to  manage  it.  It  seems  too  good  to  happen.  What  a 
comfort  to  me,  if  I  was  to  be  taken  away,  to  know  that  two  of 
you  was  safe  !  She  belongs  to  you,  and  it  really  makes  my 
heart  sore  to  see  how  she  pines  for  you,  poor  little  creature  ! 
moping  in  corners  and  gazing  out  of  the  window  by  the  hour. 
I  almost  wish  she  would  cry  out  loud,  like  other  children ;  but 
you  know  Mr.  Hethwaite  never  would  allow  that.  And  she 
doesn't  dare  to  whimper,  hardly,  when  he's  'round  ;  she's  dread- 
6* 


130          "House  Goes  Mad  ^v hen  Women  Gad." 

fill  'fraid  of  him.  I  can't  comfort  her  ;  I  forgot  years  ago  how 
to  comfort  anybody.  Your  father  is  so  terrible  queer,  Perdita  ; 
1  don't  feel  as  if  there  was  much  harm  in  telling  you  so,  now 
that  you  have  set  up  for  yourself;  but  he  does  make  me  think 
of  the  pig  that  they  drove  east,  so  as  to  make  him  go  west." 

"  1  believe  you,  mother.  Aunt  Patience  said  she  knew  he'd 
got  a  row  of  bristles  all  up  and  down  his  back." 

"  What  a  curious  speech  for  Patience  to  make  !  She  meant 
he  was  a  little  set  in  his  way.  Well,  he  is.  If  he  thinks  he 
starts  a  plan  he'll  follow  it  freely  enough,  no  matter  who  goes 
against  it ;  but  if  he  surmises  that  I  lean  any  particular  way,  he 
is  more  than  likely  to  declare  my  wish  is  improper,  and  shan't 
be  carried  out  anyhow.  Why,  Perdita,  when  we  were  not  mar 
ried  one  year,  he  took  up  the  stair-carpet  with  his  own  hands 
and  tramped  over  the  bare  boards  all  winter,  because  I  hap 
pened  to  say  it  wasn't  wearing  very  well,  and  we'd  soon  have  to 
get  a  new  one.  I've  had  a  deal  of  trials  !  and  I  do  believe 
there  would  not  be  a  surer  way  for  you  to  get  Bettine,  than  for 
me  to  cry  and  take  on  and  insist  that  I  couldn't  spare  her. 
Oh,  yes,  Perdita,  it  is  very  comforting  to  know  that  you  are 
provided  for." 

"  I've  got  a  bone  to  pick  with  you,  mother.  Why  did  you 
let  Mr.  Slaughton's  letter  remain  unanswered  ?  Why  did  you 
keep  it  a  secret  from  me  ?  " 

"  Oh,  dear  !  you  don't  say  you've  found  that  out  so  quick  ?" 

"  A  pleasant  bit  of  information  you  saved  for  me !  a  nice 
greeting  in  his  house,  you  may  think  !  Why  did  you  expose 
me  to  such  degradation  ?" 

"  I  didn't  dare  to  do  otherwise,"  cried  the  poor  woman,  des 
perately.  "  Your  father  would  have  been  so  hard  on  me  if  the 
plan  had  failed.  He  would  have  said  I  was  to  blame  somehow, 
so  I  burnt  the  letter  and  didn't  tell  anybody.  It  was  a  good 
letter,  though,  Perdita.  Mr.  Slaughton  must  be  a  nice  gentle 
man,  generous-hearted  and  amiable,  to  say  what  he  said,  I  am 
sure." 


"House  Goes  Mad  when  Women  Gad"          131 

"  You  need  to  think  so,"  replied  Perdita,  frowning,  "  when 
you  pushed  me  into  his  house  after  he  had  declined  me.  You 
ought  to  have  considered  me  a  little  as  well  as  yourself." 

"  I  did,  child,  I  did !  I  could  not  bear  to  let  such  a  chance 
go  by  to  set  you  free.  I  could  not  endure  to  think  of  long 
years  of  such  slavery  as  I  saw  before  you  ;  don't  blame  me.  I 
meant  it  for  the  best,  I  did,  indeed." 

Perdita  looked  at  the  thin,  crushed,  spiritless  woman,  whose 
eyes  were  faded  to  a  dull  brown,  whose  skin  was  sallow  and 
shrivelled,  whose  shoulders  stooped  as  under  a  perpetual  bur 
den,  and  unconsciously  contrasted  her  with  the  girl  she  had 
s-topped  to  think  about  and  observe  for  a  half  minute  opposite 
to  her  in  her  mirror  that  morning,  and  was  prompted  to  ask  a 
question. 

"  Mother,  did  you  look  like  me  when  you  was  young  ?  " 

"  I  believe  I  might." 

"  Black  eyes  and  hair  like  mine  ?  " 

"  Oh,  yes,  black  enough.  I  remember  one  day  your  father 
came  in  from  hunting  with  a  crow  he  had  killed,  and  he 
matched  its  plumes  to  my  braids,  and  he  said  he  could  not  tell 
which  was  the  darker  or  more  glossy." 

"  Father  !  "  repeated  Perdita,  with  incredulous  accent. 

"  Yes,  father  !  I  got  plenty  of  sweet  words  when  I  was  Violet 
Wemple.  You  would  hardly  believe  it ;  but  I've  some  verses 
up-chamber  that  he  wrote  to  me  that  spring,  praising  my  eyes, 
and  setting  me  up  high.  I  thought  them  ever  so  pretty  then. 
I  used  to  read  them  a  dozen  times  a  day.  I  had  seasons  after 
wards  when  I  pulled  them  out  and  meant  to  toss  them  into  the 
fire.  That  was  when  life  went  hard,  when  I  was  young  and 
had  a  temper.  I  never  get  into  a  passion  now  ;  it  don't  pay," 
she  went  on,  sighing  wearily.  "  I  might  as  well  run  my  head 
against  a  stone  wall  as  to  try  to  stand  out  against  your  father's 
wishes.  I  could  not  bend  ;  so  I  broke  down. 

"  Mother,  show  me  the  verses  !  give  them  to  me.  I'll  forge 
a  weapon  from  his  muse,  if  he  is  contrary  about  Bettine,"  she 


132          "House  Goes  Mad  when  Women  Gad" 

thought,  smiling  to  herself;  "  I'll  confront  him  with  his  court 
ing  nonsense,  and  make  him  so  ashamed  that  he  will  be  glad 
to  give  in  to  get  rid  of  the  sight  of  me.  Do  fetch  them, 
mother,"  she  added,  "  father's  poetry  must  be  something  so 
soothing  and  delicious  !  I  should  as  soon  expect  to  hear  a  bull 
sing  psalms  as  father  talk  sweet.  How  did  he  look  ?  did  he 
smile,  and  squeeze  your  hand,  and  go  down  on  his  knees  as  they 
do  in  books  ?  Father  in  love !  What  a  strange  idea !  so 
impossible ! " 

"  Your  father  was  a  very  fine  young  man,  or  I  should  never 
have  fallen  in  love  with  him.  All  the  girls  were  after  him." 

"  It  appears  incredible,  mother ;  and  yet  it  should  be  true, 
because  you  were  a  pretty  girl,  were  you  not." 

"A little  compliment  to  yourself,"  answered  the  mother,  with 
a  sort  of  smile  the  daughter  had  never  observed  before  on  that 
face — and  which  had  a  gleam  of  youth  in  it.  "  I  hope  you  are 
•not  going  to  be  vain." 

"  Me  vain  ?  Could  I  be,  do  you  think  ?  "  and  then  queerly 
enough  she  began  to  wonder  if  Sabrina  or  Bertha  were  vain. 

"  Come  upstairs,  mother,"  she  said  quickly,  "  I  have  nothing 
to  do  with  such  ideas  as  might  suit  other  women.  I  am  busy 
with  Bettine  ;  get  me  the  verses." 

"  Well,  I'll  let  you  see  them.  After  all  that  is  said  and  done, 
he's  had  a  hard  time,  poor  fellow  !  They  say  adversity  is  good 
for  people.  I  don't  believe  it.  If  he  had  lived  in  easy  plenty, 
he  would  have  been  as  pleasant  as  anybody.  I  feel  almost 
guilty  to  talk  so  to  you  about  him.  I  have  not  ever  spoken 
my  mind  to  the  children,  or  anybody  else,  for  that  matter." 

A  new  conception  of  the  shut-in  loneliness  of  her  mother's 
life,  which  had  no  confidences,  dawned  on  Perdita.  The  need 
or  possibility  of  such  an  outing  presented  itself  as  a  revelation, 
and  a  wish  and  hope  began  to  spring  within  her  that  she  might 
be  in  some  sort  a  friend  to  her. 

While  she  went  on  thinking,  she  unconsciously  watched  her 
mother's  hands,  which  turned  slowly  over  the  contents  of  an 


"House  Goes  Mad  when  Women  Gad."          133 

octagon  box,  pasted  on  its  outside  with  pictures — a  receptacle 
evidently  of  mementoes  of  joys  that  were  wasted.  An  ancient 
ring,  in  jeweler's  gold,  bearing  for  a  device  two  clasped  hands, 
and  worn  thin  and  small  till  its  linked  fingers  had  parted  at 
last ;  a  couple  of  broken  brooches  ;  some  locks  of  hair  cut 
from  the  heads  of  the  children,  flossy  and  babyish,  and  hoarded 
in  secret ;  an  old  locket,  a  packet  of  letters  yellow  and  faded, 
and  a  "Daily  Food"  in  crimson  and  gilt,  much  worn  and  tar 
nished,  whose  texts  had  been  often  conned  for  comfort  during 
the  starved  years  so  empty  of  worldly  consolations. 

"Mother,  did  not  Violet  Wemple  wear  jewels  with  those 
ball  dresses  up-garret  ?  "  asked  Perdita  at  last,  picking  up  the 
ring  and  trying  to  join  its  severed  emblem. 

"  Yes,  a  few.  I  had  a  set  of  garnets.  Those  your  father 
sold  one  hard  year  to  buy  him  a  coat.  I  had  a  diamond  pin  ; 
we  used  that  to  live  on  once  when  the  folks  could  not  raise 
our  salary,  and  we  should  have  famished  without  it.  I  did  hate 
to  part  with  that ;  my  father  gave  it  to  me  when  I  was  sixteen 
But  it  had  to  go.  My  watch  your  father  carried  after  he  had 
sold  his,  and  he  finally  gave  it  to  the  Missionary  Society  and 
made  himself  a  life  member." 

"  How  selfish  !  how  mean  !     Why  did  you  let  him  ?  " 

"  He  did  not  ask  my  consent ;  it  was  at  a  synod,  when  all 
the  ministers  were  giving,  and  1  suppose  he  did  not  feel  like 
being  singular.  And  he  had  worn  it  so  long  that  he  sort  of  felt 
as  if  it  was  his.  I  think  he  must  have  been  a  little  ashamed, 
though,  for  he  was  so  cross  when  I  asked  him  where  it  was.  I 
could  not  help  showing  that  I  was  sorry,  and  I  cried  about  it. 
That  made  him  so  angry  that  I  didn't  know  but  he  was  going 
to  shake  me.  I  never  mentioned  it  afterwards,  nor  did  he.  As 
to  the  other  things,  necessities  pressed  us  so  hard  that  I  was 
quite  willing  they  should  go — I  had  no  longer  any  use  for  orna 
ments,  except  a  meek  and  quiet  spirit ;  and  that  I've  tried  hard 
to  cultivate." 

Listening  to  these  queer  revelations,  it  seemed  as  if  a  new 


134          "House  Goes  Mad  when  Women  Gad" 

light  from  her  mother's  past  illumined  the  daughter's  future. 
A  vision  of  herself  in  the  time  to  come — old,  humble,  cringing, 
pale,  sallow,  arose  before  her. 

"  Never  !  "  she  exclaimed  half  aloud.  "  I'll  neither  bend 
nor  break.  Have  you  found  the  love-verses  ?  Ah,  yes  !  now 
let's  read  them  quickly,"  she  added,  as  she  heard  some  papers 
rustling  in  the  old  lady's  fingers. 

The  ancient  bead-bag,  such  as  had  been  the  fashion  of  Violet 
Wem pie's  youth,  lay  on  her  knees,  and  she  reluctantly  brought 
from  their  long  hiding  the  tributes  to  her  faded  charms — all 
crumpled  and  soiled  and  worn,  like  the  beauties  they  praised. 

"  Don't  read  them  out  loud,  Perdita,"  said  she.  "  Take 
them  home  and  keep  them.  If  I  should  die  first,  give  them  to 
//////,  when  this  old  face  is  out  of  his  sight.  They  might  recall 
Violet  Wem  pie  to  him  as  she  was  when  he  took  her." 

"  Mother  !  Oh,  mother  !  I  see  it — I  feel  it ;  you  have  a 
soft,  tender  heart ;  I  never  dreamed  it !  There  is  one  more 
reason  why  I  am  glad  I  did  not  rebel.  I  can  be  good  to  my 
mother.  I  can  help  you  over  some  of  the  rough  places.  You 
will  let  me,  won't  you  ?  You'll  tell  me  when  you  feel  bad  ? 
You'll  talk  to  me  about  your  troubles  ?  Kiss  me  once  more. 
Give  me  the  mate  to  that  one  I  got  up-garret  beside  the  old 
chest." 

The  poor  woman  was  quite  overcome,  and  wept  profusely 
till  a  well-known  step  on  the  stair  brought  her  back  to  the 
dreary  necessity  of  concealing  her  emotion.  She  arose  quickly, 
huddled  her  treasures  into  the  box,  wiped  her  eyes  on  the 
corner  of  her  apron,  and  composed  her  features  into  their  cus 
tomary  expression  of  patient  endurance. 

"There's  Mr.  Hethwaite.  He  don't  like  to  see  women  cry. 
Put  it  in  your  pocket,  Perdita  (she  gave  the  girl's  hand  which 
held  the  poetry  a  hurried  little  push).  Now,  be  very  careful  how 
you  go  about  Bettine.  I  do  hope  you'll  get  the  little  thing  ; 
she  isn't  cut  out  for  hard  knocks." 

"  Father's  gone  down  the  road,"  said  Perdita,  peeping  from 


Qui  Aime  Bien,  Bien  Chatie.  135 

the  window.  "I  don't  know  but  I  am  glad  of  it.  I'll  wr.it  till 
another  day,  till  I  have  read  his  verses.  I'm  coming  every 
morning  to  see  you.  Pluck  up  a  heart,  mother;  don't  mind 
what  father  says — he  isn't  everybody." 

"  It  is  too  late.  I'm  like  on  old  machine,  good  for  nothing 
but  house-work.  If  anything  could  cheer  me,  it  would  be  a 
sight  of  you  healthy  and  doing  well.  You  will  be  a  good  sub 
ject  to  think  about,  and  I  shall  think  about  you  all  the  while. 
Good-by  ! " 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

QUI  AIME  BIEN,  BIEN  CHATIE. 

[HEN  Perdita  stepped  out  of  doors,  she 
stopped  to  look  up  and  down,  hoping 
Betty  might  be  in  sight.  The  child  had 
been  sent  over  to  Mrs.  Batts  on  an 
errand  with  Dolly,  and  she  knew  by  her 
own  longing  how  sorry  she  would  be  to 
miss  the  visit. 

Yes,  there  she  was,  stepping  along,  with  her  head  bent.  At 
the  first  sound  of  the  voice  she  turned.  She  lifted  glad  eyes, 
and  hurried  eagerly  on  to  meet  her  sister.  Walking  was  too 
slow  ;  running  could  not  suffice  for  her  joy.  She  bounded  and 
frisked  like  a  kitten.  But  alas !  her  passage  was  speedily 
checked  by  a  hard  reproof  which  was  shouted  after  her. 

"  Stop  that  there  skippin'  !  stop,  I  tell  you  !  walk.  Do  you 
think  I've  got  nothing  to  do  but  buy  shoes  for  you  to  stomp 
out  ?  " 


136  Qui  Aime  Bien,  Bien  Chatie. 

The  Parson  unintentionally  adopted  the  style  of  speech  cur 
rent  among  his  homely  neighbors,  and  his  child  instantly  sub 
sided  into  a  crawl,  looking  scared  and  unhappy. 

"A  nice  father  you  are,  to  snarl  like  that  at  the  tender 
creature  !  Don't  you  see  God's  warm  sunshine  caressing  her  ; 
don't  you  see  the  merry  breeze  lifting  her  curls?  Can't  you 
feel  this  fresh  air,  which  ought  to  make  her  young  blood  play 
warm  and  bright  through  her  dear  little  heart  ?  Don't  you 
know  she  is  coming  to  me  ?  Yes,  she  has  stopped  her  skip- 
pin'  ;  she  creeps  on,  shame-faced  and  still  ;  she  would  weep  if 
she  dared.  That  pace  suits  you,  it  saves  leather.  There  go  a 
family  of  birds  !  they  can  hop  and  skip  all  they  please  ;  there 
are  no  shoe-bills  in  that  crowd.  Here  comes  a  dog  leaping  on 
all  his  four  legs  at  once  ;  there  goes  a  sportive  kitten,  kicking 
tip  her  heels.  They  are  Nature's  children — they  can  use  their 
limbs  at  their  sweet  pleasure  ;  but  the  offshots  of  a  minister 
have  no  such  liberty. 

"  What  a  lean,  lank,  hungry  existence  is  before  this  child,  if 
I  leave  her  here !  no  games,  no  sports,  no  joys !  There's 
mother — his  wife  ;  she  stopped  her  skippin'  long  ago  at  the 
church  door,  when  she  took  his  name.  Fie  !  father.  Go  and 
write  a  sermon  on  depravity,  and  leave  my  Bettine  to  me." 

Such  swift  thoughts  chased  each  other  through  Perdita's 
mind  as  she  returned  the  "  bow-wow "  good-morning  of  her 
parent,  and  watched  him  out  of  her  sight,  before  she  stooped 
and  picked  up  her  pet,  who  nestled  into  her  arms  with  such  a 
contented  face  that  she  hated  to  put  her  away  again  from  the 
shelter  she  loved.  Feeling  that  the  time  for  her  appeal  was 
not  fully  ripe,  however,  she  chatted  with  her  and  Dolly ;  and 
promising  to  come  run  down  again  to-morrow,  she  left  them. 

She  did  not  desire  Betty  to  come  up  to  the  mansion  house 
till  the  Vance  children  should  arrive,  so  that  she  could  begin 
her  life  there  with  playmates  and  companions  ;  and  she  was 
fully  resolved  to  carry  her  point,  and  braced  herself  for  the 
battle  she  anticipated 


"Pas  d  Pas  on  va  Bien  Loin"  137 

CHAPTER  XX. 

"PAS   A   PAS   ON   VA   BIEN    LOIN." 

[ERDITA  walked  swiftly  up  the  long  hill, 
scarce  turning  her  head  to  admire  the 
gay  woods  and  pretty  sights  behind  her, 
till  she  came  to  a  grassy  road,  disused 
long  ago,  and  all  overgrown,  which  led 
to  the  tumble-down  old  mill  where  had 
been  sawed  some  of  the  logs  for  the  first 
houses  ever  built  in  Blithebeck.  A  vine 

of  bitter-sweet  hanging  from  a  tree  far  within  the  overbending 
arch  of  gorgeous  foliage  caught  her  eye  and  tempted  her  to 
follow  the  lonely  path  by  the  fern-bordered  brook  till  she 
reached  it,  and  after  plucking  all  she  could  carry,  she  wandered 
on  towards  the  ruined  dam,  over  one  end  of  which  plunged 
with  much  foam  and  fracas  a  rapid  torrent,  falling  into  the 
deep  pool  below  in  yellow  eddies  around  the  boulders  bedded 
in  the  stream,  and  leaping  with  crest  of  foam  to  her  very  feet  as 
she  stood  on  the  bank  watching  the  stately  play  of  a  couple 
of  wild  geese  who  sailed  right  into  the  spray,  clapping  their 
wings  and  squalling  among  the  mist-wreaths,  like  gray  spirits 
of  the  flood. 

Voices  above  her  mingled  with  the  turmoil,  and  looking  up, 
she  espied  the  Pratt  boys  standing  on  the  dam,  and  holding 
between  them  a  dog  which  yelped  and  struggled  in  their  clutch. 
They  were  fastening  to  the  poor  brute's  neck  a  stone,  and 
while  she  was  observing  them  they  secured  it  to  their  liking 
and  tumbled  him  over  into  the  dark  water  with  a  whoop  and 
yell  fierce  and  discordant  enough  for  wild  Indians.  She  saw 
the  mad  plunge  of  the  victim,  and  presently  he  came  swim 
ming  towards  her,  the  rope  trailing  in  his  wake.  The  knot 


138  "Pas  a  Pas  on  va  Bicn  Loin" 

around  the  sinker  had  slipped,  and  given  him  a  chance  for  his 
life,  which  he  was  frantically  using ;  and  he  patted  struggling 
out  of  the  stream,  and  crawled  to  Perdita's  feet,  where  he  lay 
down,  turning  on  his  back,  and  whining  for  pity  and  succor. 
Dropping  her  berries,  she  knelt  on  the  bank  beside  him ;  she 
caught  him  all  dripping  to  her  arms,  and  poured  out  a  flood  of 
sympathy  and  caresses,  well  understood  by  the  dog,  who 
thanked  her  at  his  best,  licking  her  hands  and  face,  and  indus 
triously  wagging  his  bushy  tail. 

The  Pratt  boys  came  scrambling  down  the  rocks  presently, 
and  claimed  their  prey,  which  she  refused  to  surrender.  The 
dog,  also  taking  courage  from  her  protection,  showed  them 
his  teeth,  and  snarled  and  tried  hard  to  bite,  when  they  seized 
his  tail  and  began  to  pull  him  by  lateral  force. 

Perdita  held  him  fast,  and  parleyed  with  them,  to  no  good, 
and  would  have  been  obliged  to  give  up  had  it  not  been  for 
Mr.  Slaughton,  who  laid  his  hands  not  gently  on  them. 

"  What  are  you  about,  boys  ?  how  dare  you  touch  the  lady  ?  " 
demanded  he  sternly. 

"  How  dare  the  lady  touch  our  dog,  if  it  comes  to  that,  then  ? 
Just  leave  go  now  ;  we're  goin'  to  drownd  him !  Father  said 
how*t  we  must,  and  we  will." 

"  But  stop  a  minute  ;  why  do  you  wish  to  drown  him  ?  what 
is  his  offence  ?  " 

"  He's  a  trouble  ;  he's  a  lost  dog,  don't  belong  to  nobody ; 
he's  always  'round,  he  howls  all  night ;  mother  hates  him,  and 
father  said  how*t  we  should  kill  him  this  arternoon." 

"  Suppose  I  were  to  buy  the  creature  of  you." 

"  U'hat'll  ye  give  ? "  asked  the  elder  Pratt,  with  true 
Yankee  appetite  for  driving  a  bargain. 

"  I'll  give  you  five  dollars,  on  condition  that  you  are  out 
of  sight  up  that  road  in  three  minutes,  and  go  straight  home  !" 

Astonished  at  the  magnitude  of  the  offer,  they  suspiciously 
eyed  its  maker  while  he  pulled  out  his  wallet  and  took  from  it 
a  crisp  new  bill  bearing  in  one  corner  the  magic  V,  and  the 


"Pas  d  Pas  on  va  Bien  Loin"  139 

spokesman  of  the  pair  very  nearly  snatched  it  as  soon  as  held 
towards  him.  for  fear  it  might  be  a  hoax,  or  that  the  gentleman 
would  change  his  mind  ;  and  they  ran  on  nimble  legs,  leaving 
Perdita  in  possession. 

Before  they  were  well  gone,  she  awoke  to  the  awkwardness 
of  her  position,  sprinkled  from  head  to  foot  with  the  plentiful 
wetting  her  new  friend  had  given  her  from  his  enforced  bath, 
her  gingham  dress  all  limp  and  draggled,  her  hat  off,  and  a  pile 
of  scarlet  berries  at  her  feet ;  to  be  left  in  this  shape,  tete-a-t£te 
with  the  man  who  despised  her  at  her  trimmest  and  tidiest,  was 
hard ;  and  she  sprang  up  with  crimson  cheeks,  and  turning  her 
back,  she  began  folding  her  apron  into  a  bag  in  which  to 
recover  her  wood  spoil,  vainly  trying  to  ignore  his  presence. 

"  You  can  no  longer  say  you  have  no  pets,  I  think,"  said  he, 
looking  curiously  at  her.  "  Of  course  you  will  keep  what  you 
have  so  willingly  protected." 

"  I  cannot  consider  mine  a  thing  you  have  just  paid  your 
money  for,  and  a  ridiculous  price  too. 

"  In  that  case  I  shall  call  back  the  boys.  I  have  no  use  for 
this  brute  ;  shall  I  present  him  to  you,  or  offer  them  another 
five  to  toss  him  into  that  black  pool,  which  looks  like  churning 
ink  ?  I  wait  for  you  to  decide." 

"You  could  not  be  so  cruel,"  said  Perdita,  dividing  her 
glances  between  the  suppliant  at  her  feet  and  the  smileless  man 
before  her.  "Surely  you  would  not  give  those  unfeeling 
wretches  a  second  chance  to  torture  a  helpless  creature." 

"Assuredly  I  shall  return  them  their  property,  if  you  will 
not  accept  and  acknowledge  an  ownership  in  him  •  a  dog  with 
out  friends  is  better  dead  than  alive." 

"  If  it  is  your  pleasure  that  I  take  care  of  the  animal,  I  will 
add  that  to  my  other  duties." 

"  It  is  not  my  pleasure  or  intention  to  arrange  either  your 
duties  or  occupations,"  replied  the  gentleman  coldly.  "  I 
rescued  the  miserable  puppy  from  a  fate  which  threatened  him. 
I  know  that  you  meant  to  do  it,  but  you  had  not  the  strength  ; 


140  "Pas  d  Pas  on  va  Bien  Loin." 

because  I  saw  that  you  failed  in  power  to  achieve  your  chari 
table  desire,  /  stepped  in  and  used  my  strength,  which  was  suffi 
cient.  Unless  you  are  very  inconsistent,  you  must  feel  pledged 
to  continue  your  good  offices,  at  least  till  he  runs  away  from  you, 
which  will  of  course  be  before  long." 

"  Oh,  indeed  !  You  mean  to  say  that  anything  or  anybody 
would  run  away  from  me  ?  You  had  better  make  your  state 
ment  good  by  going  at  once." 

"  Not  till  this  matter  is  disposed  of.  To  be,  or  not  to  be,  is 
a  serious  question  for  that  fawning  creature  at  your  feet." 

"  I  do  not  incline  to  gifts,  unless  I  like  the  giver.  I  should  get 
fond  of  the  dog,  and  1  don't  choose  to  be  fond  of  anything 
which " 

"  1  understand.  Pray  don't  take  the  trouble  to  amplify," 
said  Mr.  Slaughton,  scornfully.  "  He  has  lost  his  chance  of  a 
good  old  age.  Hillo  !  you  Pratt,  hillo." 

The  lads  turned  at  the  shout,  and  hesitated  whether  or  no 
to  come  back,  evidently  fearing  that  the  gentleman  had  changed 
his  mind,  and  would  demand  his  money. 

"  I  shall  keep  him,"  said  Perdita  quickly,  stooping  and  put 
ting  both  arms  around  the  crouching  dog.  "  Send  those  horrid 
little  imps  away  ;  they  shall  not  touch  this  poor  brute  ;  they 
shall  not  torture  him  ;  he  is  mine  !  " 

"What  you  want?"  shouted  the  Pratts,  who  kept  at  safe 
distance. 

"Nothing;  you  may  go,"  cried  Mr.  Slaughton,  waving  his 
hand  impatiently.  "  I  was  about  to  say,  that  if  you  were  not 
out  of  sight  in  one  minute  more,  it  would  be  bad  for  you,  do 
you  understand  ?  Now,  then,  if  you  will  loosen  your  frantic 
clasp  of  that  animal  for  a  moment,  I  should  rather  like  to  see 
where  he  belongs  in  dogdom,"  said  he,  turning  to  her  with  a 
provoking  half-sneer.  "  Ah !  golden-brown  coat,  long  and 
shining  ;  drooping  ears  like  softest  silk  ;  flossy  fringe  under  all 
his  paws ;  and  a  smart,  sharp  knob  on  the  top  of  his  head. 
Your  puppy  is  a  setter ;  tolerably  pure  blood.  Charge,  sir ! 


"Pas  d  Pas  on  va  Bien  Loin."  141 

very  good  !  He  knows  what  he  is  about.  If  you  want  to  go 
out  shooting,  I  think  you  will  find  him  an  active  helper." 

"Oh,  dear,"  thought  Perdita,  ruefully  listening,  "what  a 
beginning  I  have  made  !  This  will  not  do.  I  shall  be  as  meek 
as  mother,  at  this  rate."  She  picked  up  the  end  of  the  rope  as 
she  rose  to  her  feet.  "  Come,  Sam,"  said  she,  "let's  be  going." 

"I  beg  pardon  !  did  you  speak  to  me,"  asked  Mr.  Slaughton, 
coloring  and  stepping  back. 

"  To  you  ?  Oh,  no  !  far  from  it.  I  called  my  puppy.  Sam 
is  a  very  good  name  indeed  for  a  dog;  it  is  so  short  and  so  easy 
to  speak.  Sam  !  Sam  !  Sam  ! " 

She  lifted  her  voice  to  a  musical  shout,  awakening  the 
echoes,  which  sent  her  back  a  number  of  small  Sams  in  return, 
while  the  setter  dropped  upon  his  haunches  in  front  of  her,  and 
fixing  his  eyes  on  her  face,  gave  out  a  volley  of  shrill  barks  in 
reply. 

The  gentleman  looked  into  her  sweet,  rosy  mouth,  well  opened 
for  the  tone  she  wanted,  and  observed  how  white  were  her  reg 
ular  teeth,  even  on  their  inner  surface,  how  well-tinted  and 
healthy  her  small  tongue.  Nothing  unsightly  or  unpleasant  there ; 
the  breath  coming  the'nce  could  not  choose  but  be  odorous  as 
balm. 

"  You  see  I  can  send  my  call  ever  so  far,  in  case  he  should 
justify  your  opinion  and  run  away.  Perhaps  I  ought  to  beg 
your  pardon,  for  I  do  remember  it  is  the  name  your  friend 
gives  you." 

"It  was  not  suggested  or  made  applicable  to  the  dog,  I 
trust,  by  any  puppyism  you  may  have  discovered — in  me,  for 
instance?" 

"  No,  sir ;  I  assure  you,  you  are  as  bare  of  suggestions  to 
me  as  a  blank  wall ;  you  don't  even  cast  a  shadow." 

"  Oh,  in  that  case  the  name  is  yours  in  common  with  all  the 
world,  from  Bible  Hannah  down,  and  I  beg  you  will  not  con 
sider  it  mine  in  the  least." 

"I  won't,  then.     Little  Sammy  is  an  excellent,   suggestive 


142  "Pas  a  Pas  on  va  Bicn  Loin." 

title.  He  was  also  a  good  boy ;  he  also  minded  his  mother, 
answered  when  he  was  asked,  did  as  he  was  bid.  I  begin  to 
recognize  these  gifts  as  characteristic  of  the  Sammys." 

"  Your  choice  certainly  has  a  kind  of  poetical  association 
with  the  escape  of  your  prize,  and  will  rhyme  well  in  an  epi 
taph  ;  as,  for  instance  : 

"  '  Here  lies  poor  Sam, 

Once  saved  from  a  dam.'  " 


"  That  is  quite  true  too  ;  or  Samson  might  be  a  proper 
name,  for  your  Samsons  were  strong  dogs  from  the  beginning." 

She  glanced  up  towards  the  heavens,  in  which  the  day  god 
was  careering  high. 

"  I  see  by  the  sun  it  is  almost  noon,  and  time  Sam  and  I 
were  at  home  an  hour  and  a  half  ago.  The  point  is  what  I  am 
to  do  with  the  white  elephant  of  a  gift  I  have  got.  Father 
would  kick  him  out  of  the  parsonage,  and  I  more  than  suspect 
that  his  advent  will  not  be  greeted  with  effusion  up  yonder." 

Mr.  Slaughton  laughed  in  spite  of  himself.  "As  he  has  a 
taste  for  roving,  I  think  you  will  do  well  to  rope  him  in  once 
more,  or  fasten  him  up  for  a  while,  which  will  probably  afford 
you  an  opportunity  for  listening  to  the  melancholy  moaning  of 
the  tied." 

Perdita  glanced  at  him,  and  entirely  failed  in  keeping  the 
amusement  she  felc  out  of  her  eyes ;  but  she  would  not  smile, 
so  she  turned  about  quietly  and  jerked  at  the  rope,  saying, 
"  Come,  Sam ! "  and  she  and  her  joyous  companion  were  soon 
out  of  sight 

"  Bravo,  old  boy ! "  exclaimed  Chandos,  who  had  been  a 
silent  and  unseen  witness  to  the  meeting  and  colloquy.  "'Tis 
said  when  Sir  Miles  McKillgrist  wished  to  break  with  Mistress 
Tabitha  Bramble,  he  kicked  her  cur.  You  arc  reversing  the 
order  in  a  masterly  stroke  of  policy,  and  turning  the  old  proverb 
most  admirably  into  '  Love  my  dog,  love  me.'  The  poor  beast 


"Pas  d  Pas  on  va  Bien  Loin"  143 

has  stemmed  for  you  the  billows  of  aversion,  and  may  convey 
you  safe  into  the  harbor  of  tenderness." 

"Pshaw!"  ejaculated  Mr.  Slaughton  sharply;  "how  long 
have  you  been  here  ?  " 

"  Oh,  I  followed  close  on  your  heels.  I  must  applaud  your 
behavior  during  the  interview,  you  were  so  amazingly  affable." 

"  'Affable  ?  '  Why  should  I  snarl  at  a  young  female  I  meet 
in  a  wood  ?  I'm  not  a  tiger,  you  know.  I  hope  I  was  decently 
civil ;  but  I  do  not  admire  or  approve  the  girl  for  all  that." 

"  Smart,  though,  Sam — is  she  not  ?  You  have  a  spouse  who 
quotes  Congreve,  and  most  glibly  and  appropriately  does  she 
make  it  serve  her  turn." 

"  So  it  appears,"  grimly  rejoined  Mr.  Slaughton.  "  She  might 
have  gone  a  little  farther  and  added,  '  Have  a  care,  for  the 
strongest  Samson  of  them  all  pulled  the  old  house  over  his  head 
at  last.'  " 

"  I  perceive  you  are  much  in  the  temper  of  the  big  chap  who 
was  brought  into  the  house  of  Dagon  to  make  sport." 

"  Pho,  Chandos,  those  villains  wrote  nothing  fit  for  the  pe 
rusal  of  young,  innocent  girls.  I  wonder  how  far  this  parson's 
daughter  has  dipped  into  their  filth." 

"  Education  comprises  all  literature,  ancient  and  modern, 
and  you  know  noble  ladies  went  night  after  night  to  applaud 
the  Mourning  Bride  and  the  Old  Bachelor." 

"  Granted  ;  but  neither  you  nor  I  would  take  our  friends  to 
sit  out  such  stuff.  If  the  world  is  not  purer  in  our  day,  it  is 
at  least  more  decent." 

"  Perhaps.  You  have  begun  well,  Sam.  Go  on  this  way, 
and  you'll  soon  tame  your  Kate.  You  did  quite  right  to  insist 
on  her  accepting  the  dog  you  had  offered." 

"  A  worthy  gift,  truly — my  first !  a  half-starved,  half-drowned 
puppy." 

"  You  have  demonstrated  in  some  small  measure  a  fact  I 
have  always  held  to ;  in  spite  of  your  easy  ways,  you  have  will 
and  power  enough  even  to  rule  a  fractious  woman." 


144   "Sermons  in  Stones  and  Good  in  Everything" 

Presently  Sam  burst  out  laughing. 

"  What  is  the  joke  ?  "  asked  his  friend. 

"  I  was  thinking  how  mother  might  relish  the  little  Sammy 
I've  sent  home  to  her.  You  must  know  she  desires  a  grand 
son  who  shall  inherit  the  family  name." 

"  I  trust  you  were  not  malicious  in  your  seeming  kindness." 

"  Oh,  no  ;  but  I  foresee  squalls,  and  I  confess  to  a  little  cu 
riosity  to  find  out  which  of  the  two  will  win." 


CHAPTER   XXI. 


"SERMONS  IN  STONES  AND  GOOD  IN  EVERYTHING." 


SUPPOSE  you  are  all  going  to  meeting, 
this  morning,"  said  the  widow,  when 
they  were  seated  at  the  breakfast  table, 
Sunday. 

"  Oh  yes,  indeed,  madam,"  answered 
Chandy.  "  Sam  proposes  to  take  me 
out  to  the  Holy  Saint  Roofus,  Dr. 
Woods  rector,  the  Right  Reverend  Bishop 

Forest  presiding.  Quite  a  respectable  congregation,  and  a 
most  perfect  service.  The  church  is  a  venerable  cathedral,  an- 
cient-gothic,  designed  by  Mr.  Stone,  carved  by  one  Mason  ;  the 
choir  is  led  by  Prof.  Bird,  assisted  by  Mr.  Robin,  Miss  Nightin 
gale,  Miss  Martin,  Miss  Finch,  and  young  Breeze,  who  does  the 
tenor  solos.  The  usher  who  has  care  of  the  naughty  urchins  is 
old  Badger ;  and  among  the  congregation  are  the  most  distin 
guished  names  in  our  country.  There  are  the  Beeches,  the 
Oaks,  the  Maples,  Dr.  Birch,  Esquire  Brooks,  Deacon  Rivers, 


"Sermons  in  Stones  and  Good  in  Everything"    145 

and  Judge  Groves  ;  then  there  is  Mr.  Green,  the  celebrated  car 
pet-weaver  ;  Mr.  Brown  the  trunk-maker  ;  Mr.  White,  the  artist, 
who  paints  such  beautiful  arbutus  blossoms  and  dogwood 
flowers  ;  Mr.  Marble,  whose  record  is  as  clean  as  his  face  ;  also 
the  beautiful  Miss  Plum,  whose  habits  are  a  little  wild,  'tis  true, 
but  whose  purple  dresses  are  the  very  perfection  of  color. 
Colonel  O'Wheat,  a  bachelor,  who  does  not  live  among  his  rela 
tions  ;  quite  a  large  family  of  Foxes,  who  are  said  to  be  intimate 
with  the  spirits  of  just  men  made  perfect ;  and  those  slender 
Aspen  girls,  who  cannot  keep  quiet  one  moment  of  their  lives." 

*'  You  are  leaving  out  the  Colts,"  said  Sam,  laughing. 

"They  are  not  regular  attendants  of  Dr.  Wood's  church; 
when  they  do  come,  they  are  generally  in  too  shaggy  coats  to  be 
quite  genteel,  and  often  barefooted.  Then  there  are  the  Larks 
(Sam  used  to  be  fond  of  a  lark,  Mrs.  Slaughton)  and  the  Deers, 
I've  known  him  to  slay  many  a  dear,  but  that  was  before  he 
knew  you.  Quite  a  family  of  De  Wolfs  ;  they  only  appear 
occasionally,  when  they  expect  to  meet  the  Lambs,  of  whom 
they  are  so  fond  that  they  can  never  get  enough  of  them. 
There's  the  Hogg  family;  they  are  to  be  found  among  the 
Fields  and  the  Penns.  They  are  also  intimate  with  the 
Roots,  who  are  a  low  connection,  well  known  as  underlings  to 
the  Trees  and  Branches." 

"  Mr.  Moon  and  the  sparkling  Misses  Star  prefer  the  even 
ing  service,"  spoke  up  Perdita,  whose  amusement  got  the 
better  of  her  silence. 

"  Yes,  and  there  is  that  pale  Miss  Snow,  who  so  melts  under 
Dr.  Wood's  warm  eloquence  ;  but  she  cannot  be  friends  with  the 
Violets,  who  persistenty  shun  her  neighborhood  and  declare  that 
her  very  breath  is  chilly,  to  say  nothing  of  her  manners." 

"  They  are  fond  of  Mr.  May,  however,  and  always  hanging 
about  him,  showing  off  their  blue  eyes.  Will  you  come  with  us 
Mrs.  Slaughton,"  asked  Chandy,  smiling  at  Perdita. 

"  No,"  she   replied,  "  I  like    the  cathedral  best  when    Dr. 
Spring  leads  the  service,  and  Deacon  Greenleaf  is  usher." 
7 


146    "Sermons  in  Stones  and  Good  in  Everything." 

"  Well !  did  I  ever  listen  to  such  nonsense  !  "  exclaimed  the 
dame,  who  had  been  impatiently  glowering  at  each  speaker  in 
turn.  "  I  should  hope  Perclita  would  go  to  her  own  meeting." 

This  kind  of  talk  was  new  to  the  Parson's  daughter,  whose 
fancy  had  never  been  much  encouraged  ;  and  she  did  not  know 
how  her  face  lighted  up  as  she  followed  Chandy's  fanciful  pre 
sentation  of  names,  nor  how  bright  her  eyes  were.  She  forgot 
where  she  was,  and  who  were  her  neighbors.  She  felt  as  if  she 
were  reading  a  fairy  story,  or  looking  at  a  picture,  or  hearing 
music,  as  she  went  on  following  out  the  train  of  whimsical  con 
ceits ;  and  it  was  not  till  the  old  lady's  matter-of-fact  interrup 
tion  recalled  to  her  that  the  gentleman  opposite  her  was  her 
husband,  who  did  not  love  her,  and  also  that  he  was  unpleas 
antly  observing  her  at  that  very  moment,  that  she  drew  her 
brows  together  in  a  dark  frown,  which  shadowed  her  eyes  like 
a  swift  rising  cloud,  so  quickly  did  the  brightness  of  her  face 
disappear. 

"  I  shall  of  course  go  to  the  orthodox  place  of  worship,  madam. 
A  minister's  daughter  has  been  properly  trained,  I  hope,  in 
that,  as  in  all  other  respects." 

"  But  Dr.  Wood's  views  are  so  wide  !  his  expressions  so  lib 
eral  !  His  very  atmosphere  is  worship !  Every  thought  he 
inspires  is  of  the  majesty  and  glory  of  our  Creator  ;  every  strain 
of  the  music  of  that  cathedral  is  pure  praise  ;  every  response 
a  thanksgiving.  Better  come  with  us,  Mrs.  Slaughton." 

The  bridegroom  made  a  slight  movement  of  impatience, 
which  Perdita  detected  and  violently  resented.  "  He  need 
not  fear  that  I  shall  thrust  myself  into  his  neighborhood,"  she 
thought.  "  Nothing  is  farther  from  my  desire  or  intention." 

She  rose  haughtily  from  the  table,  and  was  going  away 
without  an  answer,  had  not  Chandy  stood  up  also,  and  bowed  ; 
she  remembered  then  that  she  must  reply  to  his  invitation 
courteously. 

"  For  a  simple  girl  like  me,  Mr.  Goldsmith,"  she  said  with  a 
slight  accent  of  bitterness  she  could  not  restrain,  "  the  old 


"  These  Be  My  J civets" 


147 


fashioned  road  which  leads  under  orthodox  roofs  is  the  safest ; 
but  that  does  not  prevent  my  wishing  you  a  very  pleasant 
ramble." 


CHAPTER  XXII. 

THESE    BE    MY    JEWELS.' 


HANDOS  kept  pretty  well  to  his  promise 
to  say  no  more  to  his  friend  about  his 
private  affairs  ;  but  that  did  not  hinder 
his  malicious  desire  to  bring  the  young 
wife  into  his  notice,  so  that  he  could  not 
choose  but  observe  her.  He  had  a  good- 
natured  intention  of  trying  to  better  mat 
ters  between  them.  He  would  have  liked 

to  see  them  on  comfortable,  friendly  terms,  if  nothing  more, 
and  gave  a  good  many  thoughts  to  the  best  means  of  bringing 
it  about. 

Chandos,  we  know,  had  chosen  for  his  own  having  a  brunette ; 
he  admired  them,  as  a  rule.  He  found  Perdita  handsome, 
even  in  her  constrained  situation,  where  no  feature  or  faculty 
was  allowed  free  play  ;  he  was  able  to  surprise  her  into  bril 
liance  both  of  color  and  utterance. 

Having  heard  Samuel's  side  of  the  case,  and  understanding 
his  feelings  and  intentions  towards  his  bride,  he  was  curious 
to  learn  what  motives  had  induced  her  to  become  an  unwooed 
wife,  and  the  more  he  studied  and  observed  her,  the  more  per 
plexed  he  got.  It  did  not  look  like  ambition,  for  she  evidently 
cared  not  at  all  for  the  wealth  or  position  she  had  gained. 
It  could  not  be  blighted  affection  or  pique — she  was  so  fresh, 
so  naive,  and  had  led  such  an  isolated  life.  It  was  not  with  any 


148  "  These  Be  My  Jewels. " 

hope  of  winning  the  love  she  had  a  right  to,  for  she  was  persis 
tently  careless  and  indifferent  to  the  man.  It  could  not  have 
been  slavish  fear  or  habitual  obedience,  for  she  had  shown  in  a 
thousand  ways  already  that  she  had  spirit  and  power  and  tem 
per  enough  to  resist  where  resistance  seemed  worth  while. 

Chandy  had  some  half- formed  intentions  to  engage  Bertha's 
countenance  and  assistance  for  the  young  creatiue,  so  inex 
perienced  and  in  such  danger  of  making  shipwreck  of  her  hap 
piness.  He  reflected  proudly  what  a  valuable  friend  his  steady, 
sensible  wife  was  abte  to  be.  But  he  had  signally  failed,  thus 
far,  in  his  approaches  to  that  subject.  A  proposal  for  Bertha 
to  visit  the  postulant  was  coldly  received  by  Mr.  Slaughton, 
and  an  invitation  to  fetch  his  wife  to  Roaring  River  was  dis 
tinctly  and  decidedly  declined. 

"  Mrs.  Slaughton,  stay  a  moment,"  said  Chandy  one  evening, 
as  they  rose  from  the  supper-table,  it  being  Perdita's  habit  to 
withdraw  from  their  company  as  soon  as  the  evening  meal  was 
finished.  "  Stay,  I  want  to  show  you  my  family  ;  I  brought 
them  down  on  purpose." 

"  Certainly,"  replied  she,  looking  at  her  husband  in  a  per 
turbed  way,  seeing  that  he  had  stepped  indifferently  backward 
to  give  her  full  egress  to  the  library. 

"  Let  us  all  admire,  won't  you  ?"  asked  the  old  lady,  pattering 
after  them.  "  I'm  desperate  fond  of  looking  at  pictures  ;  so  is 
Samuel." 

"  Oh,  with  pleasure,  madam.  There  is  no  vanity  so  utterly 
vain  as  your  true  parental  vanity." 

Mr.  Goldsmith  had  meanwhile  placed  a  chair  for  Perdita, 
and  seated  himself  by  her  side.  He  drew  from  his  pocket  a 
handsome  book  of  Russia  leather,  which  had  his  name  in  gilt 
letters  on  the  cover,  and  opening  it,  displayed  his  wife's  face  ; 
good,  true,  pleasant  as  the  Bertha  we  knew  in  her  innocent 
girlhood,  and  on  either  side  of  her  a  child — the  girl  fair  and 
winsome  as  Chand/s  baby  self  had  been,  and  the  boy  with 
great  eyes  and  firm  mouth,  as  masterful  as  Uncle  Otho. 


' '  These  Be  My  Jewels."  1 49 

While  Perdita  was  bending  her  head  over  them,  thinking 
what  a  pleasant  home  that  wife  should  have,  with  this  husband, 
who  carried  about  with  him  her  picture  that  he  might  employ 
his  leisure  in  contemplating  her  charms,  and  who  spoke  so 
often  and  so  proudly  of  her,  quoting  her  opinions,  recalling  her 
remarks,  interlarding  so  habitually  his  talk  with  "Bertha  said" 
— "  Bertha  thinks  " — "Bertha  scolded  " — "  Bertha  was  pleased," 
insomuch  that  it  was  plain  that  the  wife  was  queen  in  her  house 
hold,  and  in  some  sense  a  law  unto  her  careless,  handsome 
spouse,  who  chose  her  and  married  her  because  he  wanted  her 
for  a  friend  and  companion.  While  she  pondered  so  deeply 
and  so  bitterly  that  she  forgot  she  ought  to  say  something,  the 
dame  fitted  on  her  glasses  and  came  and  peered  over  her 
shoulder,  and  exclaimed : 

"  Beautiful  boy  indeed  !  as  handsome  as  a  cherub  !  Oh,  my 
son  !  "  she  tiptoed  over,  and  whispered  in  that  gentleman's  ear, 
who  had  seated  himself  apart,  and  did  not  look  amiable.  "  Oh, 
my  dear  son  !  Sammy  will  be  just  as  bright,  and  as  smart,  and 
as  pretty  as  that  child ;  and  I  shouldn't  wonder  if  he  was  a  deal 
finer.  There's  a  great  many  good-looking  folks  amongst  your 
father's  kin  ;  and  if  I  do  say  it  myself,  that  shouldn't,  my  re 
lations  were  mostly  reckoned  personable,  and  I  had  a  good  color 
myself  when  I  was  young.  Your  father  used  to  call  me  his 
little  '  Rosey  Posey  '  for  a  great  while  after  I  got  married  ;  and 
oh,  my  dear  Samuel,  my  earnest  prayer  is  that  the  Lord  will 
mercifully  keep  back  my  last  summons  till  I've  felt  the  joy  of 
holding  dear  precious  baby  Sammy  in  my  arms — the  beautiful 
little  darling  !  " 

Chandos  was  speaking  to  Perdita. 

"  My  wife  gave  me  this  book  last  Christmas.  Thoughtful  of 
her,  was  it  not  ?  Oh,  yes,  it  '  was  a  gentle  business  and  be 
coming  the  action  of  good  women  ;  her  pretty  playing  did  out 
sell  the  gift  and  yet  enriched  it  too.'  Ho\v  do  you  like  her 
looks  ?  she  is  of  the  sort  who  wear  well ;  gets  nicer  every  day. 
I  heard  once  of  a  fellow,  who,  being  engaged  to  a  girl,  refused 


1 50  "  These  Be  My  Je-cvels." 

to  marry  her  because,  after  a  careful  study  of  her  picture,  he 
made  up  his  mind  that  the  original  was  sure  to  become  an  ugly 
old  woman.  Now,  on  the  contrary,  I  have  from  the  first  been 
in  the  habit  of  assuring  Bertha  that  she  would  make  a  lovely 
elderly  lady  ;  and  do  you  know,  in  my  innocence  I  never  once 
surmised  that  I  was  teazing  her,  till  she  finally  burst  out  at  me  : 
'  Chandos,  I  really  do  wish  you  would  leave  off  gazing  at  me 
and  saying,  "  Oh,  well,  Bertha,  you  will  be  a  handsome  old 
woman,"  as  if  I  was  a  perfect  fright  now,  and  your  lot  needed 
the  alleviation  of  hope  to  make  me  bearable.'  I  assure  you  I 
abandoned  from  that  very  moment  that  sanguine  outlook  into 
my  future,  and  entirely  changed  my  base  of  compliments. 
Samuel,  don't  you  think  Mrs.  Slaughton  has  much  the  same 
type  of  beauty  as  my  Bertha  ?  " 

Mr.  Slaughton,  who  was  at  that  instant  withdrawing  from  his 
mother's  most  obtrusive  and  inopportune  prophecy,  rose  and 
left  the  room  quite  abruptly  while  Perdita  unconsciously  lent  her 
ears  to  his  expected  reply ;  and  she  drew  back  with  hasty 
pride,  feeling  justly  offended  with  his  unnecessary  rudeness. 

"  He  declared  so  peremptorily  his  will  that  our  lives  shall  be 
so  managed  that  outsiders  shall  be  able  to  pick  no  flaws  in  our 
conduct  towards  each  other,  and  look  how  he  is  all  the  while 
violating  the  very  spirit  of  our  compact !  What  if  I  am  the  oppo 
site  of  all  he  admires,  he  might  learn  to  cloak  his  aversion 
before  folks.  If  he  goes  on  in  this  manner,  I  shall  most  cer 
tainly  and  decidedly  hate  and  abhor  him,  and  that  will  be  in 
convenient.  I  had  much  rather  regard  him  as  a  harmless  per 
son,  in  whose  house  I  keep  my  Betty  and  earn  our  dally  bread." 


"If  you  wish  for  Peace,  Prepare  for  War"       151 
CHAPTER  XXIII. 

"  IF  YOU  WISH  FOR  PEACE,  PREPARE  FOR  WAR." 


[ATURDAY  morning  the  artists  came 
across  Perdita  in  the  hall.  She  had  a 
broom  in  her  hand,  and  a  little  sweeping- 
cap  of  crimson  cambric  on  her  head, 
into  which  she  had  tucked  her  black 
braids,  and  her  short  scanty  dress  of 
dark  gingham  showed  her  low-cut  shoes 
tied  with  red  ribbons,  and  her  crimson  stockings.  And  Chandy 
stopped  to  look  at  her,  and  chat  a  little  before  setting  out  on 
their  day's  work. 

"Armed  with  the  besom  of  destruction,  I  see,"  remarked 
he  easily.  "Well,  there  is  plenty  of  rubbish  and  nonsense  in 
the  world  which  needs  clearing  off  by  good,  innocent  women 
like  you,  Mrs.  Slaughton.  I  wish  you  success." 

"  I  wage  no  war  with  other  people's  follies  ;  this  is  only 
the  new  broom  which  sweeps  clean.  Your  grace  finds  me 
here  part  of  a  good  housewife  ;  the  last  day  of  the  week  is  a 
busy  one  among  thriving  Christians." 

"I  am  sorry  to  hear  you  say  that  so  positively,  because  I 
was  about  to  beg  you  to  come  out  sketching.  I  really  wish 
you  would.  I  can't  get  any  good  of  Sam  nowadays,  he  bothers 
so  to  come  home  before  we  have  fairly  got  our  canvas  up." 

Mr.  Slaughton  was  furious,  especially  as  Perdita  received  the 
outrageous  statement  as  if  she  felt  it  a  most  natural  declaration 
of  a  perfectly  patent  and  accepted  truth. 

"  Impossible,  Mr.  Goldsmith,  there  is  to  be  jelly-cake  for 
supper,  and  Malborough  pudding  for  Sunday ;  and  I  dare  not 
risk  my  reputation  by  neglecting  them.  I  shall  be  glad  to  look 


152     "If  you  ^vish  for  Peace ,  Prepare  for  War" 

at  your  sketches,  though.  I  think  I  might  be  rather  fond  of 
good  pictures." 

"  Sam  !  I  say,  Sam,"  called  out  Chandos,  as  if  struck  with  a 
sudden  inspiration.  "  Let's  you  and  I  make  each  a  picture  of 
your  wife  in  this  costume,  for  the  Toptown  exhibition.  We 
could  call  it  the  '  The  Youug  Housekeeper,'  or  '  A  Weapon  of 
Defence,'  or " 

"  I  am  afraid  Mistress  Bertha  might  object,"  interrupted 
Sam  dryly,  just  glancing  at  the  two  over  his  shoulder,  from  the 
place  of  waiting  he  had  taken  outside  on  the  piazza,  within  ear 
shot  of  the  colloquy. 

"  Oh,  I  see,  you  don't  relish  any  intrusion  on  a  privilege 
exclusively  your  own.  Well,  I  can't  blame  you,  with  so  ador 
able  a  subject.  I  won't  press  the  point.  I  know  how  it  is  my 
self.  There  are  chords  in  the  human  breast,  Mr.  Guppy," 
Chandos  pumped  up  the  "  Guppy  "  from  his  throat  in  such  a 
droll  way  that  Perdita  could  not  help  smiling,  though  she 
turned  about  to  conceal  her  face  as  she  did  so,  and  enmeshed 
her  broom  in  a  cobweb  which  Hannah  had  neglected.  She 
felt  provoked  with  him  for  his  impudence,  and  angry  with  her 
husband.  "  You  remind  me,"  said  she,  pulling  her  trophy  off 
her  besom,  "  of  a  photographer  who  was  ordered  by  his  sitter 
to  make  her  handsome.  '  Madam  ! '  said  he,  after  a  scanning 
glance,  '  I  decline  the  job.'  Unless  you  are  willing  to  get 
dreadfully  dusted,  Mr.  Goldsmith,  I  advise  you  to  stay  not  on 
the  order  of  your  going,  but  go  at  once,  because  I  intend  to 
raise  a  cloud  of  witnesses  to  my  thriftiness.  See,  they  are 
coining  now,"  pointing  to  the  shining  motes  dancing  in  the 
sunbeams."  So  saying  she  walked  away  and  began  to  ply  her 
broom  with  speed  and  vigor. 

Chandos,  finding  no  further  chance  for  chatting,  lazily  saunter 
ed  out  and  joined  his  brother  artist,  whose  impatience  was  visible. 

"  Look  here,  my  friend  !  "  began  the  host  pointedly,  as  soon 
as  they  were  outside  the  gate,  "  you  and  I'll  have  to  quarrel, 
if  you  don't  mind.  I  can't  stand  everything." 


"If  you  wish  for  Peace,  Prepare  for  War"       1.53 

"  What  can  you  mean  ? ''  exclaimed  Chandy,  stopping  and 
confronting,  him  with  the  innocence  of  an  astonished  lamb. 

"  I  call  it  ungenerous,  after  my  free-hearted  confidence  in 
you,  to  go  on  like  this,  trying  all  in  your  power  to  make  me 
uncomfortable  and  ridiculous.  I  shall  not  put  up  with  it  much 
longer." 

"  You  and  I  quarrel,  Sam,  '  who  have  sat  on  one  cushion,  both 
warbling  of  one  song !  both  in  one  key !  we  who  grew  to 
gether  like  to  a  double  cherry  ;  seeming  parted,  but  yet  a  union 
in  partition — two  lovely  berries  moulded  on  one  stem " 

"  Pshaw  !  Chandos,  don't  be  a  fool,"  retorted  Sam,  grinning 
against  his  will.  "  I  don't  feel  in  a  merry  mood  myself." 

"  You  are  mistaken  in  my  motives,  Samuel.  I  am  doing  my 
best  to  show  you  that  you  have  it  in  your  power  to  be  extremely 
comfortable,  not  to  say  happy." 

"  Allow  me  to  be  the  fittest  judge  of  my  position,"  inter 
rupted  Sarn,  getting  very  red.  "  I  will  trouble  you  to  keep  your 
advice  to  yourself  till  it  is  asked  for.  I've  known  duels  fought 
with  less  provocation  than  you've  given  me.  Yes,  and  death- 
wounds  given.  By  Jove  !  you  presume  on  my  friendship. 
You  have  no  delicacy.  Your  conduct  to  the  young  woman  in 
yonder  is  unbecoming,  to  say  nothing  of  the  continual  rasp, 
rasp,  you  keep  up  at  me." 

"  Don't  let's  quarrel,  Sam  ;  I'm  going  away  Monday.  You 
cannot  surely  be  such  a  churl  as  to  object  to  my  making  myself 
agreeable  to  my  hostess.  I  cannot  afford  to  be  considered  a 
bear  by  a  handsome  woman  ;  whatever  reputation  you  are  will 
ing  to  make  with  her,  I  don't  wish  to  fare  like  poor  Tray,  be 
cause  I  happen  to  be  in  surly  company.  If  you  delight  to  bark 
and  bite,  'tis  not  my  nature  to  ;  God  hath  not  made  me  so." 

"  Chandy,  you  are  incorrigible,"  replied  his  friend,  smoothing 
out  the  deep  frown  from  his  forehead  and  bursting  into  a  laugh. 
"  Forgive  me,  old  fellow.  I  wish  to  gracious  you  had  stayed  away 
at  this  peculiar  epoch  in  my  destiny ;  but  as  fate  sent  you  here, 
I  know  it  is  impossible  for  you  to  refrain  from  extracting  all  the 
7* 


'54     "If  you  wish  for  Peace,  Prepare  for  War" 

amusement  out  of  me  the  case  calls  for  ;  and  I  won't  ask  you  to 
be  easy  either,  for  somebody  ought  to  get  a  measure  of  enjoyment 
out  of  the  queer  fix.  I  should  laugh  if  it  was  any  other  fool  in 
my  place.  Heigho  !  when  I  look  at  you  I  can  scarcely  believe 
so  many  years  have  passed  since  the  old  Rosenbloom  days. 
You  must  have  been  a  happy  fellow  to  keep  so  absolutely  your 
youthful  jollity.  As  for  me,  I  feel  as  if  I  was  a  hundred." 

"  Samuel,  my  dear  old  chum,"  Chandy  turned  about  and 
looked  in  his  friend's  eyes,  his  clear,  handsome  face  lighted  by 
real  affection  and  honest  feeling,  "  it  is  not  so  long  ago ;  we 
are  hardly  in  our  prime  yet.  You've  got  as  good  a  chance  for 
a  rich,  full  life,  as  a  man  ever  had  ;  and  I  believe  you'll  find  it 
out  too.  I  did  not  mean  to  be  unpleasant.  You  cannot  deny 
that  I've  put  your  lovely  model  into  lights  and  shadows  you 
never  could  have  managed — nor  would  have  tried,  perhaps. 
There  are  rich  traits  there,  Sammy ;  strong  points,  interesting 
studies  of  variety  in  expression,  in  play  and  feature,  unconscious 
graces  mental  and  bodily,  well  worth  your  artist  attention, 
deserving  your  friendship  as  a  friend,  your  ardent  love  as  a  man. 
Paint  her  picture,  Sammy,  and  make  her  talk  while  you  are 
doing  it." 

"  You  are  best  fitted  for  that,  Chandos,  for  'tis  truly  true  of 
you,  what  was  said  of  Lawrence,  'The  blandishments  of  your 
pencil  are  only  equalled  by  those  of  your  tongue.' " 

"  I've  merely  supposed  the  case  in  her  hearing,  as  it  ought 
to  be  in  her  life.  Such  a  beauty,  so  ripe  and  real,  should  have  a 
true  worshipper  in  her  nearest,  who  should  be  her  dearest." 

"  You  are  forgetting,  Chandos,  the  truth  we  were  drilled  into 
under  our  master  ;  '  the  perception  of  the  beautiful  is  a  psycho 
logical  operation,  by  which  perfections  are  perceived  in  an  ob 
ject  external  to  us,  approaching  to  the  ideal  form  which  has 
already  existed  in  the  mind.  It  is  the  mind  alone  that  is  beau 
tiful,  and  in  perceiving  beauty  we  only  contemplate  the  shadow 
of  our  own  affections.'  This  girl  does  not  in  any  way  resemble 
my  ideal ;  ergo,  I  am  not  able  to  perceive  any  perfections  in 


The  Picnic  in  the  Wood. 


155 


her.  I  find  about  her  no  shadow  of  my  affections ;  therefore 
I  will  not  paint  her  face,  nor  bring  myself  into  needless  contact 
in  any  manner  with  what  I  find  wanting  in  graces  and  charms." 
"Oh,  well,  let's  drop  the  subject,  then.  I  must  insist,  if  we 
go  on,  that  there  is  munificent  reward  for  your  study  in  your 
young  wife  ;  but  I  refrain.  I  hate  that  ugly  line  you've  got  be 
tween  your  eyebrows.  It  gives  me  warning  of  lowering  weather 
as  surely  as  the  rainbow,  which  the  sailors  dread  to  see  span 
ning  the  heavens  at  evening,  portends  a  tempest. 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 

THE   PICNIC   IN   THE   WOOD. 


HE  friends  did  but  little  talking  over  their 
morning's  work,  which  grew  in  graceful 
lines  and  fitting  colors  under  their  fingers 
with  rapid,  practised  touches ;  and  both 
were  busy  among  their  thoughts.  When 
noontime  came,  they  sat  down  in  the  cool 
shade  to  enjoy  their  lunch  with  hungry 
appetites,  and  to  compare  progress. 

"  As  usual,  Sam,"  said  Chandos,  "  your  trees  are  your  strong 
point ;  such  light,  feathery  foliage  as  you  are  able  to  work  in  ! 
By  Jove  !  I  don't  see  how  you  do  it.  Look  now  !  Though  you 
give  us  but  a  peep  at  a  time  of  the  limpid  azure  overhead, 
through  the  dense  masses  of  leanness ;  such  brilliant  clusters, 
too,  that  if  their  originals  were  not  glowing  up  above  there,  I 
should  say  your  tinting  was  impossible.  Yet  you  are  free 
from  opacity  or  heaviness.  I  could  walk  up  that  steep  foot 
path  and  scramble  over  the  patched  fence  into  yonder  forest, 


1 56  The  Picnic  in  the  Wood. 

if  I  could  manage  to  push  through  those  armed  briar-bushes ; 
and  I  know  that  the  sunshine  would  fall  warm  on  my  head, 
were  it  not  for  the  rustling  canopy  of  leaves  which  screens 
me  from  its  ardent  touch.  Sam,  you've  studied  nature  to  a 
purpose." 

"  Praise  from  Sir  Hubert  Stanley,"  laughed  the  artist,  who 
was  much  more  interested  in  the  sandwich  he  was  munching 
than  in  his  friend's  partial  admiration.  "  Let's  pack  our  traps 
and  go  down  the  hill  towards  the  west.  You  can  find  that 
wonderful  effect  of  golden  haze  you  wanted  to  study  with  the 
afternoon  shadows." 

"After  a  while,  Sam.  Let's  smoke  the  pipe  of  peace  first. 
I've  earned  my  daily  bread  already  to-day.  We  won't  push 
the  curse  too  far,  which  is  a  blessing  in  disguise,  taken 
moderately." 

It  was  three  o'clock  when  they  reached  the  brook  by  the 
roadside,  singing  to  itself  in  the  solitude  ;  and  as  they  paused 
to  listen,  they  heard  a  clear  voice  trolling  out  "  Jerusalem  the 
golden,"  occasionally  helped  by  tenor  and  bass — rather  light 
and  youthful,  'tis  true,  but  very  fresh  and  not  inharmonious  ; 
and  sending  a  look  under  the  low  branches  into  a  cleared  space 
beyond,  they  discovered  a  party  so  busy  among  themselves  as 
to  be  entirely  oblivious  of  their  neighborhood. 

"Whom  have  we  here?"  whispered  Chandos ;  "they  look 
like  Bohemian  gypsies,  but  they  sound  like  a  Methodist  camp- 
meeting.  Those  wood-notes  are  a  little  wild,  but  by  no  moans 
wooden.  Bless  us  and  save  us,  Samuel !  that  sweet  singer  of 
Israel  is  Mrs.  Slaugrrton." 

"Of  course  it  is,"  answered  Sam  dryly  ;  "and  surrounded 
by  all  the  well-bent  twigs  of  the  Hethwaite  tree." 

"  And  there's  the  puppy  Sam  at  her  feet,  in  silent  and  de 
vout  admiration,  as  every  Sam  ought  to  be — a  most  discerning 
animal,  that  dog." 

Seated  by  a  blaze,  kindled  in  a  rude  fireplace  of  stones, 
Teddy  Hethwaite  was  bending  his  face  over  some  frogs'  legs 


The  Picnic  in  the  Wood.  157 

which  he  was  busily  skinning,  and  which  he  plunged  into  a  pail 
of  water  as  fast  as  finished. 

Dolly  was  standing  in  a  shallow  pool,  into  which  she  made 
frantic  dashes  after  the  nimble  jumpers,  whenever  the  long 
stick  she  pointed  at  them,  like  a  magician's  wand,  induced  them 
to  come  within  her  reach. 

Malcolm  fed  the  blaze  from  a  pile  of  twigs  he  had  amassed 
for  the  purpose,  and  Perdita,  the  jubilant  singer,  was  perched 
on  a  log,  swiftly  dressing  with  her  scissors  some  small  trout, 
which  were  evidently  the  captives  of  her  own  angling,  for  a 
slender  rod  leaned  with  its  line  against  the  tree-trunk  behind 
her. 

Little  Bettine  had  her  lap  full  of  beech-nuts,  and  she  eagerly 
devoured  them,  while  the  chattering  of  some  angry  gray 
squirrels  over  her  head  showed  whose  hoard  had  been 
sequestered  for  the  child's  pleasure. 

"  There,  Samuel !  if  our  genius  was  able  to  put  that  sylvan 
scene  faithfully  onto  canvas,  our  fame  would  be  immortal." 

"They  seem  to  be  having  an  outrageously  good  time,"  said 
Sam  in  a  vexed  tone. 

"  That  is  a  fact  beyond  demonstration,  and  I  think  there  is 
such  an  overplus  of  enjoyment,  that  they  can  afford  to  spare  us 
some  ;  let's  join  them,"  and  added  Chandy  to  himself,  "  kind 
fortune  has  surely  led  us  to  this  spot  !  here's  an  opportunity  for 
him  to  get  acquainted  with  his  wife.  One  can  make  more 
progress  at  one  picnic  than  in  many  weeks  of  ordinary  life." 

Meantime  he  was  busily  pushing  his  way  through  the  rotting, 
tumble-down  rails.  (Parson  Hethwaite's  fences  were  a  cause 
of  much  profanity  among  the  unregenerate  of  his  neighborhood.) 

"  No,  thank  you,"  returned  Mr.  Slaughton,  drawing  back. 
"  I  don't  care  to  meddle  with  their  joys.  I'll  go  home." 

"  I  actually  believe  you  are  afraid  of  that  woman.  Sam, 
your  avoidance  of  her  amounts  to  cowardice.  It  appears  that 
her  beautiful  black  eyes  are  as  baleful  as  basilisks  to  you." 

"  Pooh,  Chandy  !  what  flumadiddle  !     Come  on,  then,  if  you 


158  The  Picnic  in  the  Wood. 

are  determined  to  intrude  uninvited  on  a  select  family  party, 
where  /  by  no  means  feel  secure  of  a  welcome.  You  shan't  have 
it  to  say  I  deserted  you  in  your  extremity.  It  is  the  duty  of  a 
host  to  endeavor  to  be  complaisant  to  the  most  exacting 
of  his  guests." 

Little  Betty  was  the  first  to  espy  them.  "  Oh,  Perdita," 
whispered  she  fearfully,  "  there's  a  man  down  there." 

"  What  of  it,  child  ?  We  are  on  our  own  ground  ;  tisn't 
father,  is  it  ?  " 

"No,  it  is  Mr.  Slaughtonl"  cried  Dolly,  springing  nimbly 
out  of  the  water,  "  and  here  I  am  bare-legged  !  What  did  Billy 
want  to  hang  my  stockings  on  that  tree  for  ?  I  can  never  reach 
them.  Oh,  my  !  what  shall  I  do  ?  " 

"  Hallo  !  you  gypsy  band  !  what  are  you  about  here  ?  "  called 
out  Chandos. 

"  Catching  frogs  !  "  replied  Malcolm,  who  was  very  concise 
and  not  over-hospitable  in  his  greeting. 

"Catching  cold,  I  am  afraid,  Mrs.  Slaughton,"  retorted 
Chandy,  leaping  over  some  scattered  logs  ;  "  of  a  truth,  you 
will  get  coughs  and  what  not  on  this  damp  ground." 

"  Oh,  no,"  answered  Perdita,  coolly  continuing  her  occupa 
tion.  "  I  never  allow  myself  any  improprieties  of  that  kind." 

"  May  we  come  into  your  camp  and  get  our  fortunes  told  ?" 

"  That  is  as  Dolly  says.  This  is  her  frolic.  As  to  the  for 
tunes,  if  you  make  them  yourselves,  you  can  tell  them  better 
than  anybody." 

"  Sam  is  so  satisfied  with  the  present,  he  don't  care  to  peer 
into  the  future." 

Perdita  threw  a  swift  glance  into  his  laughing  eyes  as  he 
spoke,  and  was  vexed  at  herself  for  doing  it ;  because  she 
somehow  could  not  help  including  in  it  the  gentleman  who 
stood  near,  and  whose  face  looked  anything  but  satisfied  ;  and 
she  gave  her  head  an  impatient  little  toss,  as  she  observed  that 
it  was  the  dog  who  munched  fish-heads,  who  was  pleased  with 
his  passing  moment,  according  to  Mr.  Goldsmith. 


The  Picnic  in  the  Wood.  159 

"  Cakes  and  pies  all  finished  ? "  asked  the  saucy  fellow, 
seating  himself  on  the  other  end  of  the  log. 

"  Yes,  sir.     This  is  my  half-holiday  out." 

"  And  she  comes  to  spend  it  with  us  I  We  were  afraid  she 
wouldn't,"  cried  Billy  triumphantly. 

"  It  was  a  sacrifice,"  said  Perdita,  with  scornful  emphasis. 
"  But  you  see,  I  had  strength  of  purpose  to  tear  myself  for  a 
brief  period  from  the  matchless  delights  up  yonder,  that  I 
might  mingle  in  your  simple  pleasures." 

"  Are  you  going  to  cook  those  frogs'  legs  and  trout  ?  "  asked 
Chandos  insinuatingly. 

"Yes,  she  just  is;  and  she's  the  bully  brick  to  do  it  too. 
She  used  to  get  up  at  five  o'clock,  and  fry  our  fish,  and  we 
used  to  eat  them  all  up  before  father  got  out  of  bed ;  we 
haven't  anybody  to  make  good  times  for  us  now.  I  think  you 
might  have  married  some  other  girl,  and  left  us  our  Perdita," 
and  Billy  glowered  quite  savagely  and  vindictively  at  Mr. 
Slaughton,  who  nearly  looked  sheepish  under  the  concentrated 
fire  of  the  resentful  eyes  they  all  turned  upon  him. 

"  Don't  prate,  Billy,"  said  the  angler,  snipping  and  snipping 
with  her  sharp  scissors,  and  seeming  engrossed  with  her  occupa 
tion  ;  and  she  turned  out  the  dressed  fish  so  rapidly  and  deftly 
that  Chandos  was  filled  with  admiration. 

"  How  swiftly  you  do  that !  it  is  really  wonderful." 

"  When  one  has  only  a  half-holiday  to  one's  self,  it  is  neces 
sary  not  to  waste  time  ;  the  sun  goes  down  so  very  early." 

"Yes,  and  then  she'll  have  to  go  off  up  yonder  again.  And 
who's  going  to  help  me  learn  that  old  Sunday-school  lesson,  I 
should  like  to  know  ?  "  and  again  Billy  frowned  at  the  silent 
gentleman,  whom  he  evidently  considered  a  thief  and  a  robber 
who  had  stolen  away  his  sister.  "  I  don't  know  a  thing  about 
the  nasty  plagues.  I  wish  /  had  a  staff  that  could  do  things — I'd 
fix  out  some  folks  I  know  of." 

"  Mind  your  fire,  Billy,"  said  Perdita. 

"  You  will  please  observe,"  whispered  Chandos  behind  his 


160  The  Picnic  in  the  Wood. 

hand  as  soon  as  she  got  out  of  ear-shot,  hunting  for  the  salt,  which 
seemed  to  have  been  overlooked,  "  it  is  a  clear  case.  These 
young  folks  wanted  what  you  have  got.  Trust  them  for  know 
ing  the  true  value  of  the  friend  you  took  from  them.  Many 
have  done  virtuously,  but  she  excelleth  them  all,  don't  you 
see?" 

"Don't  prate  !"  returned  Sam,  borrowing  Perdita's  reproof, 
and  removing  from  his  friend's  neighborhood. 

"  I  am  so  fond  of  frogs'  legs,"  called  out  Chandy  in  persua 
sive  accents  to  Dolly,  who  was  still  hiding  her  feet  under  her 
petticoats  ;  "mayn't  I  have  some  of  yours?" 

"  I  suppose  so,"  answered  she  pouting,  "  if  Perdita  likes  it." 

"  Do  you  like  it,  Mrs.  Slaughton  ?   Oh,  say  yes." 

Chandy  was  so  bent  on  stopping,  that  he  ignored  the  scant 
welcome  of  the  young  ones,  who  plainly  considered  them  in 
truders,  and  wished  them  farther ;  and  he  was  confident  of 
being  able  to  make  them  change  opinions  on  his  desirableness 
before  they  parted. 

"  I  have  not  the  least  objection,  of  course,  if  you  can  find  it 
worth  your  while,"  replied  Perdita  quietly  ;  "  but  you  will  have 
to  wait  a  long  time  before  you  get  anything  to  eat.  We  did 
not  come  early  ourselves." 

"Couldn't  I  help  you  ?  to  be  useful  is  my  wish.  I  had  that 
for  a  copy  when  I  was  a  little  shaver,  and  I  never  felt  so  much 
like  putting  it  into  practice  as  right  here,  in  this  most  charming 
epoch  of  my  existence." 

"  Can  you  skin  frogs  ?  " 

"  I  flatter  myself  that  I  can.  I  was  familiar  with  their  anat 
omy  as  a  lad,  and  that  sort  of  lore  is  apt  to  stick  by  a  fellow 
when  the  '  Lamentations  of  Isaiah '  slip  clean  out  of  his  memory. 
So  I  am  not  afraid  to  boast  my  ability." 

"  Then  you  might  help  Teddy." 

Now,  if  there  was  one  class  of  humanity  more  than  another 
with  whom  Chandy  was  able  to  be  at  home,  it  was  with  boys  and 
girls.  He  always  seemed  for  the  time  as  young  as  they ;  he  did 


TJie  Picnic  in  the  Wood.  161 

not  oblige  himself  to  descend  to  their  level,  but  just  sailed 
along  with  them  as  naturally  and  easily  as  if  he  had  counted 
no  twenties  among  his  years,  and  had  given  his  entire  time 
and  attention  up  to  this  precise  moment  to  just  such  skylarking 
and  pranks  as  they  most  delighted  in. 

He  took  out  his  jack-knife  and  set  to  work,  and  while  his 
hands  were  busy,  he  talked  to  the  shy  lad  (who  was  bending 
his  head  close  down,  and  peeping  through  half-shut  eyes  at  the 
delicate  joints  he  was  severing)  with  so  much  youthful  fun,  that 
he  not  only  made  him  smile  and  grow  bright,  but  Malcolm 
pricked  up  his  ears  as  the  horse  smelleth  the  battle  afar  off 
and  cries  aha !  and  speedily  drew  nearer  to  listen  and  enjoy 
also. 

Mr.  Slaughton  did  not  at  all  relish  his  position  as  an  out 
sider,  of  whom  nobody  seemed  to  make  much  account.  He 
was  accustomed  to  be  good  friends  with  young  people  and  chil 
dren,  and  he  approached  Dolly,  and  asked  her  how  she  liked 
camping  out  in  the  woods. 

But  Dolly  hadn't  on  any  stockings  or  shoes  ;  therefore  she 
was  ashamed,  and  she  wanted  him  to  go  out  of  sight,  so  that 
she  could  get  up  and  put  them  on.  And  she  was,  besides, 
dreadfully  afraid  of  the  well-dressed  gentleman  who  looked  not 
in  the  least  like  the  Batts  or  the  Pratts  of  whom  she  saw  most 
in  her  everyday  life ;  and  she  blushed  and  stammered,  and  said 
"  Yes,  sir,"  or  "  No,  sir,"  and  had  a  great  mind  to  put  her 
finger  in  her  mouth  and  cry. 

The  boys  and  girls  Sam  affected  were  able  to  look  him  in  the 
face  and  answer  back  ;  therefore  he  presently  withdrew  from 
this  poor  child,  giving  her  up  for  a  red-cheeked  romp  without 
brains,  and  left  them  all,  after  a  vindictive  glance  at  Mr. 
Chandy,  who  at  that  precise  instant  was  laughing  in  concert 
with  his  listeners,  and  seemed  entirely  to  have  forgotten  his 
presence. 

After  a  while  Billy  came  along  looking  pleased  and  content, 
as  if  Chandy 's  good  nature  had  made  him  merry. 


1 62  The  Picnic  in  the  Wood. 

"  See  my  flies,  what  Perdita  made  me,"  said  he,  showing  a 
couple  of  hooks  skilfully  hidden  under  bright  feathers. 

"  Don't  chatter,  Billy,"  advised  the  sister,  rising  from  her  com 
pleted  task  and  walking  towards  the  brook.  "You  mustn't 
think  fine  gentlemen,  who  spend  money  on  their  angling,  will 
be  interested  in  your  little  traps." 

She  did  not  look  at  the  fine  gentleman  as  she  passed  him, 
but  moved  swiftly  on  about  her  business  ;  and  though  Sam  felt 
hit,  he  could  not  tell  what  particular  folly  she  was  flinging  at, 
and  experienced  a  kind  of  general  all-overishness  of  shortcom 
ings  and  incapacity.  Her  air  and  manner  undervalued  him  to 
that  extent ;  it  seemed  to  say  :  "  My  foot  is  on  my  native 
heath  ;  and  though  I  promised  to  be  housekeeper  and  teacher 
in  your  house,  I'am  free  and  independent  here,  and  I'd  as  soon 
you  knew  it  as  not." 

As  she  passed  Dolly,  she  threw  her  her  stockings.  "  Put 
them  on  quickly,"  she  whispered,  "  and  don't  look  so  put  out. 
You  have  consented  to  their  stay,  though  I  don't  see  what  they 
want  to  for.  So  now  you  must  make  the  best  of  it.  Fortu 
nately,  they  can't  spoil  another  Saturday  for  us.  Hurry  now, 
and  see  if  the  potatoes  are  roasted." 

Billy  took  himself  and  his  hooks  away  from  Sam's  neighbor 
hood  after  his  explicit  shutting  up,  and  being  cut  off  from  com 
panionship,  that  gentleman  had  no  better  occupation  than 
watching  the  mistress  of  the  feast,  who  moved  hither  and  thither, 
brushing  the  turf  with  light  steps,  arranging  the  sylvan  meal. 

She  pulled  an  old  saucepan  from  a  hollow  tree  where  it  had 
been  covered  with  dead  leaves,  and  set  it  on  the  fire  with  slices 
of  pork,  which  I  grieve  to  say  had  been  borrowed  without  leave 
from  the  family  barrel  by  the  young  rascal,  Billy.  His  mother, 
who  came  upon  him  in  the  midst  of  his  appropriation  business, 
did  not  order  him  to  put  it  back ;  on  the  contrary,  she  whis 
pered  hurriedly,  "  Make  haste,  Billy  ;  your  father  might  come 
— run  now  ; "  and  she  gave  him  a  piece  of  the  Religious  Her 
ald  to  wrap  it  in,  and  smoothed  her  face  as  demurely  when  the 


The  Picnic  in  the  Wood.  163 

divine  approached  as  if  she  had  not  just  aided  and  abetted  a 
piece  of  work  which  would  have  earned  her  a  sure  reprimand, 
and  her  son  a  whipping,  if  it  had  been  discovered. 

"  Poor  dears  !  they  would  never  have  a  good  time  if  I  was 
as  severe  and  close  as  he'd  like  to  have  me.  And  Perdita  '11  be 
there  to-day,  too." 

Dolly  meanwhile  had  washed  and  dried  half  a  dozen  great 
clam-shells,  which  served  for  plates,  and  had  been  also  stowed 
in  the  chestnut  stump ;  and  some  rude  knives  and  forks,  ham 
mered  from  iron  hoops  and  cut  with  Malcolm's  jack-knife. 

"  Oho  !  this  is  your  pantry !  "  exclaimed  Chandos,  who 
watched  all  the  proceedings  with  boyish  interest.  "  You  dwell 
here  on  the  edge  of  the  forest,  like  fringe  on  a  petticoat. 

"  '  Who  doth  ambition  shun, 
And  loves  to  live  i'  the  sun, 
Seeking  the  food  he  eats, 
And  pleased  with  what  he  gets, 
Come  hither,  come  hither,  come  hither  ! '  " 

"  You  will  be  pleased  when  you  eat  one  of  Perdita' s  frogs' 
legs,"  said  Billy ;  "  I  tell  you  they  are  bully  ! " 

"  Did  you  call  me  ? "  asked  Teddy,  who  had  caught  only 
the  refrain  of  Chandy's  rhyme,  and  came  hurrying  up,  thinking 
he  was  wanted. 

"  Oh,  no ;  I  merely  sent  out  a  general  invitation  to  the 
right-minded  to  leave  off  delving  for  filthy  lucre  and  running 
after  vanity,  and  do  as  we  do." 

"  I  hope  nobody  more  will  come,"  grumbled  Dolly,  discon 
tentedly. 

"  No  danger,  Dolly  ;  that  sort  of  folks  are  not  plenty  enough 
to  be  troublesome,"  said  Perdita,  turning  the  hissing  fishes  in 
the  pan. 

"  You  are  robbers  as  well  as  gypsies,  it  appears,"  observed 
Chandos,  pointing  to  Betty's  beech-nuts ;  "  the  squirrels  are 
angry  with  you." 


1 64  The  Picnic  in  the  Wood. 

"  Feeble  folk  like  squirrels  and  women  must  learn  to  endure 
without  grumbling  what  they  are  not  able  to  prevent,"  answered 
Perdita. 

Mr.  Slaughton  hovered  about  near  enough  to  hear  and  see 
all,  and  out  of  patience  as  he  was  with  his  friend,  was  forced  to 
yield  to  the  contagion  of  his  high  spirits,  and  laugh  occasion 
ally  ;  and  he  was  besides  much  amused  and  interested  in  the 
family  traits  and  developments  of  the  Hethwaites,  who,  beyond 
the  paternal  ken,  showed  capacity  for  pranks  and  drollery  ;  he 
had  already  spent  some  attention  on  the  tiny  child,  frail  and  fair, 
who  so  demurely  shelled  the  small  brown  things,  so  satiny  and 
so  little  that  they  seemed  just  made  for  her. 

Her  skin  was  clear-hued  and  transparent,  and  though  she 
was  not  much  bigger  than  a  Christmas  lady  doll,  she  was  beau 
tifully  shaped  and  finished  in  all  her  minute  proportions. 

When  Mr.  Slaughton  reminded  himself  that  this  child  was 
the  impelling  motive  which  had  so  strangely  pushed  his  wife 
into  his  house,  where  she  meant  of  her  own  choice  to  dwell  a 
stranger  and  an  alien  to  him,  its  master,  and  her  lawful  lord, 
he  examined  her  with  extreme  interest. 

Pretty  soon  she  looked  up  in  his  face.  Her  white  teeth  met 
on  a  nut  at  the  same  instant,  and  crushed  the  shell ;  and  she 
returned  the  smile  he  unconsciously  gave  her,  while  she  exam 
ined  him  and  decided  upon  his  manhood,  from  some  secret 
standpoint  of  her  own. 

"  Will  you  let  me  shell  those  for  you  with  my  knife  ?"  asked 
he ;  "I  can  get  them  out  whole,  and  faster  than  you  can." 

She  hesitated  an  instant ;  looked  about  her  for  Perdita,  and 
then  reached  out  her  small  fist,  and  placed  its  contents  in  his 
palm. 

When  the  young  wife  perceived  this  commerce  of  eyes  and 
hands,  she  looked  black  and  frowning  at  the  pair.  A  jealous 
fear  possessed  her  lest  her  darling,  for  whom  she  had  risked  so 
much,  might  be  tempted  or  lured  into  opening  her  precious 
heart  to  admit  another  love  besides  hers  ;  she  could  not  bear 


The  Picnic  in  the  Wood.  165 

the  possibility  of  sharing  this  only  treasure  of  her  life  with  any 
body — especially  the  man  who  despised  and  disliked  her,  and 
who  desired  to  show  himself  coldly  superior  and  indifferent  to 
her.  '  She  could  not  rest  easy  until  she  had  sundered  the  child 
from  the  companionship  of  this  unpleasant  person.  Both  the 
mite  and  he  seemed  well  pleased  with  the  new  acquaintance  ; 
they  smiled  and  chatted,  while  Sam's  busy  knife  was  swiftly 
piling  up  a  little  heap  of  white  meats  in  the  lap  of  the  small 
creature,  whose  nimble  fingers  made  constant  journeys  to  her 
wee  rosy  mouth  without  impoverishing  her  horde ;  and  all  the 
murmuring  talk  and  dainty  thanks  she  gave  the  diligent  laborer 
were  gall  and  wormwood  to  the  watchful  guardian. 

"  Come  here,  Bettine,"  said  she  presently,  "  look  what  a  gor 
geous  caterpillar.  He's  yellow  and  red,  with  little  trees  of 
plumage  on  his  back." 

"  But  I  shall  lose  all  my  beech-nuts,  if  I  get  up." 

"  Drop  them,  then.  You  have  eaten  already  too  many. 
They  will  make  you  sick." 

"  Let  me  put  them  in  my  pocket,  please." 

"  No,  no — throw  them  away,  and  I  will  open  more  by-and- 
by." 

Bettine  looked  wistfully  up  at  her  "  cracksman  " — such  a 
queer  old  glance,  deprecating  his  displeasure,  and  pitying  him 
that  his  good  offices  were  so  made  light  of. 

"  I'll  keep  them  for  you,"  whispered  he,  smiling,  who  easily 
guessed  the  cause  of  Perdita's  evident  disturbance  ;  and  as  he 
scooped  up  the  nuts  into  his  hands,  and  Bettine  sprang  up  with 
a  little  shake  and  toss,  like  a  bird  ready  to  fly,  he  admired  her 
light,  flitting  motion,  which  was  like  treading  on  air. 

"  Ugly  thing  !  "  she  exclaimed  in  her  bright  voice,  a  thread 
of  music  pellucid  and  soft,  as  she  fearfully  shrank  away  from 
the  crawling  worm,  who  had  urgent  business  of  his  own,  and 
was  getting  about  it  as  fast  as  his  sixteen  legs  could  help  him. 
"Let's  kill  him." 

The  savage  and  remorseless  advice  was  in  as   absurd  con- 


1 66  The  Picnic  in  the  Wood. 

trast  to  the  sweet  small  notes  in  which  it  was  uttered,  as  was 
her  retreating  terror  from  any  murderous  intention. 

"  Oh,  no,  Betty.  You  know  God  made  him.  He  wants  him 
to  live  ;  he  belongs  to  God  ;  you  must  not  hurt  him." 

"No,  I  won't,  then.  Betty  don't  kill  God's  things  ;  she  lets 
God's  things  alone.  Did  God  make  all  these  flies  too." 

She  pointed  to  a  myriad  of  darting  gnats  who  sported  in  the 
sunshine. 

"  Every  one ;  every  fly  in  the  whole  world." 

"  Oh,  yes,  I  know  ;  and  he  lets  me  have  some  of  his  flies 
down  to  my  house,  don't  he  ?  " 

Perdita  laughed  merrily,  and  the  sound  was  echoed  softly 
behind  her.  Turning  quickly,  she  saw  Mr.  Slaughton,  who  had 
gathered  the  beech-nuts  into  his  handkerchief  and  followed 
Betty  ;  and  she  found  on  his  face  the  first  really  genial,  friendly 
look  it  had  ever  assumed  in  her  neighborhood,  and  she  let  her 
eyes  dwell  one  instant  upon  him,  while  a  strange  emotion  surged 
through  her  heart.  "  What  if  she  really  belonged  to  this  man, 
as  she  did  lawfully ;  could  she  find  happiness  in  the  owner 
ship  ?  "  It  was  but  a  passing  thought,  which  she  banished  with 
swift,  strong  will. 

"  Perdita,"  whispered  Betty,  "  I  like  Mr.  Slaughton.  May 
I  go  back  no  him  now  ?  " 

"  Yes,  come,  baby,"  said  the  gentleman,  holding  out  his 
hands.  "  There  is  no  reason  why  we  shall  not  be  good 
friends." 

Perdita  surrendered  her  unwillingly,  and  she  tried  to  hide  the 
jealous  pang  she  felt.  "  You  may  stop  just  while  I  finish  the 
cooking,"  said  she  ;  and  though  she  busied  her  hands  with 
work,  she  turned  her  eyes  constantly  and  uneasily  to  the  two 
who  played  with  the  dog,  and  her  disquiet  was  not  lessened  by 
a  remark  which  might  have  been  either  malicious  or  reas 
suring. 

11 1  offered  no  bribe,  held  out  no  inducements.  The  child 
takes  to  me  because  she  cannot  help  it,  and  I  receive  her 


The  Picnic  in  the  Wood.  167 

because  I  am  able  to  understand  innocence,  because  I  like 
children."  ^ 

He  did  not  speak  to  his  wife,  did  not  look  at  her  ;  but  a 
gleam  of  mischievous  triumph  shone  from  his  eyes,  and  the  up 
roarious  antics  of  the  frisking  dog  seemed  immediately  to  ab 
sorb  all  the  attention  of  the  new  allies  ;  so  that,  after  a  few 
natural  and  habitual  turnings  towards  her  on  the  part  of  the 
child,  both  appeared  to  forget  Perdita's  neighborhood. 

The  meal  was  ready  at  last,  and  the  young  wife  hastened 
to  claim  her  charge  and  place  her  near  herself;  and  the  whole 
party  sat  down  around  the  cloth  spread  on  the  grass,  while  the 
appetizing  viands  served  on  the  clean  white  shells  sent  out  a 
most  savory  odor. 

The  sketchers  brought  excellent  inclinations  to  the  cheer,  as 
well  as  the  givers  of  the  feast ;  and  Chandos  was  so  convivial 
and  chatty  that  Teddy  was  in  raptures  with  his  talk,  hanging 
on  his  words,  and  getting  as  close  to  him  as  possible,  that  he 
might  admire  the  play  of  his  handsome  features.  Such  a  mag 
nificent  fellow  as  he  appeared  to  the  home-bred  lad,  with  his 
beauty,  his  culture,  and  his  well-made,  easy-fitting  garments. 

"  Sir  John  Chandos,"  thought  he  aloud,  after  his  near-sight 
ed  vision  had  been  some  time  busy,  keenly  and  inquisitively, 
with  the  artist's  face  and  figure. 

"  How  do  you  find  me  compare  with  your  ideal  of  the  brave 
knight  ?  "  asked  Chandy  good-naturedly. 

"I  don't  know — I  did  not  mean/'  stammered  Teddy  in 
secret  confusion. 

"  I  must  explain,  said  Perdita,  with  sedate  composure.  "  The 
adventures  of  that  mirror  of  chivalry  have  been  full  of  inter 
est  for  Teddy  and  me,  and  I  expect  he  feels  the  same  sort  of  in 
credulous  surprise  I  felt  when  I  found  his  namesake  walking 
among  us." 

"  I  hope  I  have  not  disgraced  the  name,"  returned  Chandos 
rather  proudly.  "  My  father  was  fond  of  the  old  chap,  and  he 
gave  me  a  book  one  Christmas  in  which  he  had  copied  out 


1 68  The  Picnic  in  the  Wood. 

the  whole  career  of  the  warrior-gentleman,  and  enriched  it 
with  illustrations  colored  with  infinite  skill.  Chris  and  I 
got  down  the  dear  old  Froissart,  after  we  were  grown,  and  found 
the  passages  marked  by  his  hand.  I  feel  rather  sure  that  the 
spirit  of  Sir  John  has  helped  me  through  hard  places  some 
times.  I  fully  believe  he  and  my  father  often  compare  notes 
on  my  progress ;  and  I  fervently  hope  they  will  not  get  so  high 
among  the  spheres  as  ever  to  lose  sight  of  me  while  I  am  a 
militant  individual,  warring  against  the  lusts  of  the  flesh.  Ah, 
Sam  !  My  father  was  a  wonderful  man  ! " 

"  He  was,  indeed,  Chandy  ;  there  are  few  such." 

"  Did  he  make  one  of  John  de  Clermont  and  Chandos 
when  they  met,  with  the  same  device  on  their  armor  ?  "  asked 
Teddy,  who  had  been  eagerly  listening. 

"  You've  got  me  there,"  replied  Chandy,  laughing ;  "  that 
is  an  exploit  I  wot  not  of.  What  was  it  ? ' 

"  I  can't  tell  stories.  Perdita  can  ;  she  is  the  greatest  girl 
for  learning  things  by  heart !  Say  it,  won't  you,  Perdita?" 

"  What  for  ?  "  inquired  she  coolly. 

"  Because  I  want  you  to." 

"Yes,  imL-ed,  and  to  please  me,"  echoed  Chandy. 

" '  Me  '  includes  only  Teddy,  thank  you,"  replied  Perdita, 
smiling. 

"  And  me,"  spoke  up  Malcolm. 

"  And  me,"  added  Billy. 

"  And  me,"  put  in  Dolly. 

"  No,  no;  all  me,"  piped  up  Betty. 

Perdita  glanced  at  Mr.  Slaughton,  whose  eyes  were  fixed  on 
her.  "  Don't  prate,  children,"  chided  she  shortly. 

"  That  means,  keep  silence  while  I  recite,  I  trust,"  remarked 
Chandos,  drumming  on  his  empty  clam-shell.  "  Silence, 
all  ! " 

The  little  matter  is  not  worth  so  many  words,"  said  the 
young  wife.  Her  face  looked  dark  and  displeased.  The  ex 
pression  was  perhaps  a  reflection  from  her  husband's  ;  at  any 


The  Picnic  in  the  Wood.  169 

rate,  his  saying  rose  suddenly  to  her  memory — "  A  brow  of 
Egypt." 

She  began  in  an  uninterested  voice,  which  soon  grew  mellow 
and  pleasant  as  she  saw  how  Teddy  was  listening  and  following 
her  narrative. 

"  It  chanced  on  that  day  that  Sir  John  Chandos  had  rode  out 
near  one  of  the  wings  of  the  French  army,  and  Lord  John  de 
Clermont,  one  of  the  King's  marshals,  had  done  the  same  to 
view  the  English.  As  each  knight  was  returning  to  his  quar 
ters,  they  met.  They  both  had  the  same  device  upon  the  sur- 
coats  they  wore  over  their  clothes.  It  was  a  Virgin  Mary  em 
broidered  on  a  field,  azure,  or,  encompassed  with  the  rays  of 
the  sun,  argent.  On  seeing  this,  Lord  Clermont  said,  '  Chan 
dos  !  how  long  is  it  since  you  have  taken  upon  you  to  wear  my 
arms  ? ' 

"  '  It  is  you  have  mine,'  replied  Chandos,  '  for  it  is  as  much 
mine  as  yours.' 

"  'I  deny  that,'  said  the  Lord  of  Clermont,  'and  were  it  not 
for  the  truce  between  us,  I  would  soon  show  you  you  have  no 
right  to  wear  it.' 

"  '  Ha  ! '  answered  Sir  John  Chandos.  '  You  will  find  me 
to-morrow  on  the  field,  ready  prepared  to  defend  and  to  prove 
by  force  of  arms  that  it  is  as  much  mine  as  yours.' 

"  The  Lord  of  Clermont  replied,  '  These  are  the  boastings  of 
you  English,  who  can  invent  nothing  new,  but  take  for  your 
own  whatever  you  see  handsome  belonging  to  others.' 

"  With  that  they  parted,  without  more  words,  and  each 
returned  to  his  own  army." 

"  Did  they  fight  ?  "  interrupted  Billy,  with  a  lad's  interest  in 
a  scrimmage.  "  Who  beat?" 

"  No,  they  did  not  fight  in  duello  ;  but  Lord  John  was 
wounded  the  next  day  in  the  battle,  and  he  could  neither  get 
up  again  nor  procure  his  ransom.  Some  say  this  treatment 
was  owing  to  his  altercation  the  preceding  morning  with 
Chandos." 


I/O  The  Picnic  in  the  Wood. 

"  You  do  not  believe,  however,  that  the  knight  had  any  hand 
in  it  ?  "  asked  Mr.  Goldsmith,  as  quickly  as  if  it  had  been  a 
personal  imputation  on  his  honor. 

"  No,  I  do  not.  Even  making  all  allowances  for  the  rude 
and  rough  doings  of  those  times,  it  seems  to  me  Sir  John  was 
not  the  man  to  countenance  such  dastardly  revenge." 

"  And  you  are  right.  No  brave  man — and  he  was  brave — 
would  murder  a  helpless  enemy.  Say,  Sam,  with  your  leave, 
I'll  make  a  study  of  those  two  disputing  over  their  device,  and 
present  it  to  Mrs.  Slaughton.  May  I  ?  " 

"  That  is  as  pleases  the  lady,"  replied  Mr.  Slaughton. 

"  Mr.  Goldsmith,  permit  me  to  speak  for  myself.  I  should 
like  it  very  much,"  said  Perdita,  while  her  eyes  Hashed. 

"  Did  Sir  John  Chandos  ever  get  married  ?  "  asked  Dolly, 
who  was  still  viewing  the  picture  her  sister  had  conjured  for  her, 
and  who  also  kept  in  mind  her  mother's  good  wishes  in  her  be 
half,  "  I  hope  it  may  be  your  turn  some  time." 

"  Of  course,  Miss  Dolly.  I,  his  sole  representative,  am  able 
to  answer  that  question.  All  wise,  good  young  people  get 
married." 

"Yes,  they  marry  in  haste  to  repent  at  leisure,"  said  Perdita 
angrily.  She  was  provoked  beyond  bearing  by  the  studied 
indifference  of  her  husband's  manner. 

Malcolm,  who  was  as  hungry  as  a  tiger,  had  heaped  his  plate, 
or  shell,  so  high  with  fishes  that  Dolly  was  troubled  for  her  share. 

"  You  must  not  take  so  many,"  said  she,  pulling  his  sleeve ; 
"  let  Perdita  help  you." 

The  lad  blushed  red  to  have  the  eyes  of  all  so  suddenly  turned 
on  him  ;  but  he  answered,  "  No,  the  gods  help  those  who  help 
themselves,"  and  he  watched  an  opportunity  to  pay  the  girl 
back,  which  he  soon  found.  "  Dolly  !  "  he  called  out  in  a  loud 
voice,  "  I  wish  you  would  shut  your  lips  when  you  eat.  Don't 
you  know  it  says  in  the  Bible,  '  the  sound  of  the  grinding  is 
low?'" 

"  '  A  fool  also  is  full  of  words  '—isn't  he,  Mr.  Goldsmith  ?  " 


The  Picnic  in  the  Wood.  171 

"  Why  do  you  appeal  to  me,  Miss  Dolly  ?  I  hope  you  don't 
mean  to  number  me  among  the  babblers  ?  " 

"  The  babbling  rhyme  for  fool  is  school,  and  that  is  where 
Dolly  often  wears  the  dunce  cap,"  retorted  Malcolm. 

"  Oh,  dear  !  to-morrow  will  be  Sunday,"  exclaimed  Dolly, 
turning  her  back  on  the  grinning  lad,  who  was  treating  her  to  a 
ferocious  moite.  "  I  hate  Sunday  !  Don't  you,  Mr.  Goldsmith  ? 
You  have  to  keep  so  still,  and  read  pious  books.  Mother 
always  puts  away  everything  Saturday  riight  but  the  Bible  and 
Fox's  Book  of  Martyrs." 

"  /won't  do  so,  when  I'm  a  man.  Til  be  as  wicked  as  fun. 
I'll  crack  nuts,  and  spin  my  top,  and  make  'lasses  candy,  and 
eat  lickerish,  and  have  two  pieces  of  mince  pie,  and  I  won't 
learn  a  bit  of  catechism,"  said  Billy. 

"  Do  you  really  think  it  is  wrong  to  have  good  times  on  Sun 
day,  Mr.  Slaughton  ?  "  asked  Malcolm  of  his  neighbor,  towards 
whom  the  good  supper  had  amazingly  ameliorated  him. 

"  1  believe  in  keeping  the  Sabbath,"  answered  Sam.  "  I  am 
of  Johnson's  opinion:  'One  may  walk  of  a  Sunday,  but 
not  throw  stones  at  birds ;  relaxation,  but  not  amuse 
ment.'  " 

Perdita  grew  to  be  almost  sorry  for  her  last  speech,  and  to 
find  the  gentleman  nearly  bearable,  as  she  glanced  bright-eyed 
at  Teddy,  much  pleased  to  see  how  he  was  slowly  taking  in  the 
humor  of  the  quotation,  rubbing  his  hands  and  squinting 
through  half-shut  lids  at  the  quoter. 

"  Look  here,  Billy,"  said  Chandos,  taking  up  a  little  red- 
cheeked  apple,  which  had  made  part  of  the  dessert ;  "  Did  you 
ever  see  a  cannon-ball  that  killed  an  emperor  ?  No  ?  Then 
look  here,  can  you  do  this  boy -trick  ?  " 

He  turned  his  hand  backwards  and  quickly  jerked  the 
fruit  up  in  the  air,  expecting  to  catch  it  through  the  crook  of  his 
elbow  in  front  when  it  came  down ;  but  his  youthful  skill 
so  far  deserted  him  that  it  flew  across  the  table  and  narrowly 
missed  Perdita' s  temple. 


The  Picnic  in  the  Wood. 

"  Excuse  me,  but  I  believe  that  is  the  apple  of  your  eye, 
Mrs.  Slaughton,"  said  he. 

"  No,  sir ;  I  have  not  room  in  my  eye  for  two  apples,  and  I 
consider  your  contribution  de  trop" 

"  I  understand  ;  your  eye  is  filled  already.  Yes,  Sam  is  a 
proper  fellow  to  take  the  eye  of  a  woman,"  replied  Chandos, 
pretending  to  approve  his  friend  with  a  discerning  scrutiny  of 
his  traits.  "  I  think  his  smiling  becomes  him  better  than  any 
man  in  Phrygia." 

"  Pshaw !  Chandos,"  said  Mr.  Slaughton,  with  disgusted 
emphasis ;  "  for  a  fellow  who  is  forever  gleaning  from  a  rich 
author,  you  do  manage  to  bring  away  the  most  astonishing 
number  of  inappropriate,  nonsensical  nothings  ! " 

"  Is  that  your  candid  verdict !  Come,  then,  you  shall  shine 
awhile,  you  shall  sing  to  us  of  Chiabidos : 

"  *  Songs  of  love  and  songs  of  longing, 
That  our  feast  may  be  more  joyous  ; 
That  the  time  may  pass  more  gayly, 
And  our  friends  be  more  contented.' 

Now  then,  Sam,  sail  in  ;  we  are  all  pleased  attention." 

Chandos  adjusted  his  face  and  attitude  to  elaborate  expect 
ancy,  and  all  the  others  following  his  lead,  seemed  figuratively 
to  open  their  mouths  for  the  words  of  wisdom  about  to  falL 

"  Gammon  !  don't  be  a  boy." 

Perdita  heard  the  growling  tones  and  observed  the  displeased 
face  of  her  bridegroom,  and  remarked  quietly  : 

"  I  like  boys  better  than  men,  because  in  boys  you  are  able 
to  see  grand  possibilities,  while  in  men  you  are  obliged  to 
observe  their  deficiencies." 

"  Don't,  Mrs.  Slaughton.  You  will  discourage  Sam  so  much 
that  he  will  be  able  to  put  no  fire  into  his  Chiabidos,"  remarked 
Chandy. 

"  Humph  !  "  ejaculated  the  artist,  with  contemptuous  mirth. 

"Don't  be  over-modest,  Sam,   I  beg.      Pray  begin.     You 


The  Picnic  in  the  Wood.  173 

remember  the  beautiful  address  to  Laughing  Water;  let  us 

have  ft." 

"  I  couldn't  think  of  trespassing  on  your  especial  forte." 

"  Oh,  very  well.     I  am  quite  willing  to  be  Chiabidos ;  and 

you  can't  object  to  my  putting  Mrs.  Slanghton  in  the  Indian 

maid's  place  while  I  speak  the  speech,  of  course." 

"  '  Oh,  thou  wild  flower  of  the  forest  ! 
Oh,  thou  wild  bird  of  the  prairie  ! 
Thou  with  eyes  so  soft  and  fawn  like, 
If  thou  only  lookest  at  me  I  am  happy 

As  the  lilies  of  the  valley 
When  they  feel  the  dew  upon  them  ! '  " 

Chandos  sang  the  words  to  a  pretty  air  enough,  and  in  such 
a  sweet  and  melodious  voice  that  all  ears  were  pleased  to  listen. 

"  I  am  sorry,"  said  he  when  he  finished,  "  that  you  would  not 
raise  the  tune  of  our  little  ditty,  Sam,  because  you  excel  me  as 
the  lark  does  the  tree-toad ;  and  I  know  you  admire 
'  Hiawatha.'  " 

Mr.  Slaughton  seemed  unreasonably  rasped  and  aggravated 
at  the  audacious  eyes  Chandy  had  made  at  his  wife  during  his 
role,  .and  replied  quite  shortly  : 

"  On  the  contrary.  I  think  Andrew  Fairservice's  words 
amazing  apt  to  describe  it :  ripperty,  tipperty,  poetry  non 
sense." 

"  Sam  has  quite  a  staccato  style  of  delivering  his  opinions,  has 
he  not  ? "  remarked  Chandos,  turning  to  Perdita.  "  I  hope 
you  don't  agree  with  him  ?  " 

"  I  have  no  idea  on  the  subject.  I  have  never  read  the 
book.  What  you  have  just  given  us  certainly  has  a  pretty 
jingle." 

"  May  I  inquire  what  sort  of  poetry  do  you  admire  ?  " 

"  I  like  the  Iliad,  and  the  Lady  of  the  Lake,  and  the 
Ancient  Mariner,  and  Lamia,  and " 

"And  Patient  Griselda,"  put  in  Chandy  mischievously,  while 


174  The  Picnic  in  the  Wood. 

she  hesitated  an  instant,  as  she  happened  to  observe  that  her 
husband's  eyes  were  scanning  her  with  what  seemed  to  her 
supercilious  attention. 

"  No,"  she  exclaimed  positively ;  "  I  think  Griselda  was  a 
fool,  an  impossible  fool !  " 

"  Hillo  !  what  ails  Teddy  ? "  shouted  Malcolm,  hurrying 
after  his  brother,  who  had  risen  swiftly  and  scurried  from  the 
group  with  a  hand  to  his  cheek,  running  to  the  brook,  where 
he  stooped  over  the  water,  laving  in  its  coolness. 

"  I  expect  he  et  too  much  fish,  and  has  got  a  headache  to 
pay  him  for  being  a  greedy-pig,"  said  Billy,  who  was  still  busy 
among  the  remains  of  the  feast.  "  Father  says  it's  a  sin  to  be 
greedy." 

"  Father  is  a  sinner  ;  he  owns  up  to  it  every  morning.  He 
tells  the  Lord  he  is  the  chiefest  of  sinners,  and  I  believe  him," 
remarked  Dolly-.  "What  is  it,  Mat  ?  what's  the  matter?" 

"  He  got  kicked  by  a  bee,"  answered  Malcolm,  returning 
out  of  breath  and  throwing  himself  upon  the  moss. 

"  Then  he  must  not  lurk  where  the  bee  sucks,"  said  Chandy 
laughing. 

"Pooh!  a  bee  can't  hurt  much,"  spoke  up  Billy.  "lyfra 
whole  nest  of  yellow-jackets  t'other  day,  myself." 

"  And  did  the  yellow-jackets  fit  you,  Billy  boy,  ro'ving 
Billy  ?  " 

While  the  big  boy  was  chaffing  the  small  one,  Mr.  Slaugh- 
ton's  ear  was  attracted  by  Bettine,  whose  low,  thrilling  voice 
pronounced  her  sister's  name. 

So  true  and  loving  was  the  tone — so  sweet,  like  the  prayer  of 
innocence,  that  he  listened  in  unconscious  eagerness  for  his 
young  wife's  reply. 

"  What,  darling  ?  " 

The  instant  the  unaccustomed  utterance  passed  her  lips, 
Perdita  felt  a  sort  of  shiver,  it  was  so  new,  so  strange  to  her. 
No  terms  of  endearment  were  ever  used  at  the  parsonage  ;  no 
pet  names.  Mrs.  Hethwaite  had  once  been  severely  scolded 


The  Picnic  in  the  Wood.  175 

in  the  hearing  of  her  children  for  having  inadvertently  called 
one  of  them  a  "  sweet  angel." 

"  Beings  born  into  a  fallen  world,  of  depraved  and  sinful 
stock,  who  are  certain  to  be  damned  unless  God  elects  their 
salvation — who  are  prone  to  evil  as  the  sparks  are  to  fly  up 
wards,  are  very  far  from  being  angels,  Mrs.  Hethwaite  ;  and  I 
trust  you  will  repeat  no  more  such  idle  words,  of  which  you 
must  give  account  at  the  day  of  judgment.  Let  your  commu 
nication  be  yea,  yea,  and  nay,  nay,  hereafter,"  said  the 
Parson. 

Violet  Wemple  had  not  been  able  then  to  forget  all  the 
courting  pleasantries  her  wooer  had  talked  to  her ;  and  the 
look  she  gave  him  in  reply  to  his  pretty  husband-speech  irritated 
him. 

"  What  are  you  thinking  ?  out  with  it,"  he  demanded  with 
authority. 

"  I  remember  the  time  you  told  me  you  saw  Heaven  in  my 
eyes,"  said  she  plaintively. 

A  very  unclerical  word  came  from  between  the  good  man's 
shut  teeth,  as  he  left  her  ;  and  certainly  he  was  no  angel  for  a 
couple  of  days  afterwards. 

The  sudden  impulse  Perdita  felt  to  give  voice  to  her  great 
and  strong  love  for  Bettine  seemed  born  of  her  freedom,  and 
the  child  fastened  swimming  eyes  on  her  after  a  troubled  glance 
of  mute  inquiry  at  her  new  friend,  who  she  felt  must  wonder 
how  it  had  come  to  pass  that  Perdita  said  such  things. 

"  Am  I  your  darling  ?  "  asked  she  softly. 

"  Yes,  you  always  were,  you  always  shall  be." 

"  Have  you  any  more  darlings  but  me,  Perdita  ?  am  I  all  ?  " 

"Yes,  all,  unless  it  might  be  Sam,"  she  added,  caressing  the 
dog,  who  crouched  and  whined  at  her  feet,  as  if  he  felt  left  out 
and  neglected. 

Chandos  winked  at  his  friend,  who  frowned  dreadfully,  and 
was  evidently  in  dread  that  he  would  take  the  opportunity  to 
teaze. 


176  The  Picnic  in  the  Wood. 

"  And  will  you  call  me  darling  every  day  ?  I  like  darling 
better  than  Bettine.  Say  it  some  more,  Perdita." 

"  But  you  wished  to  ask  me  a  question,  did  you  not "  She 

hesitated  an  instant,  then  added  the  endearing  word  for  which 
the  child  was  eagerly  waiting  ;  and  as  she  did  so  her  eyes  were 
full  of  love  as  fresh  as  was  the  new  epithet  to  her  lips,  and  a 
flood  of  sweet  content  glowed  over  the  wee  thing,  beaming  in 
her  glances  and  dimpling  her  face  with  smiles. 

"Tell  me,  Perdita,  did  I  ever  know  Aunt  Prudence  ?"  she 
whispered. 

"  No,  darling,  she  died  before  you  were  born  ! " 

"  But  did  I  never  know  her  ?  "  she  persisted,  fixing  her  gaze 
on  the  blue  sky. 

"  No,  Betty,  how  could  you  ?  " 

"  Why,  if  she  went  up  before  I  came  down,  we  must  have 
been  there  together  ;  and  I  should  think  she  would  have  seen 
me,  because  she  loved  you  ! " 

"  Do  you  remember  any  tales  they  told  you  up  there  ?  " 

"  I  cannot  tell.  I  think  so  many  things.  I  don't  know  who 
told  me.  I  don't  believe  I  got  them  all  here  ;  we  have  no  music, 
no  flowers,  no  pretty-pretty  people,  such  as  I  dream  of  when  I 
sleep  in  your  arms." 

"  Hush,  Betty ! "  exclaimed  Perdita,  suddenly  recollecting 
herself,  and  looking  at  her  husband  ;  "  you  must  not  tell  all 
you  think,  except  when  we  are  alone  together.  See,  the  sun  is 
almost  down  ;  it  is  time  to  go  home." 

"  Yes,  Perdita,"  pleaded  the  child  ;  "  and  won't  you  come 
too.  I  want  you  so  bad  !  Dolly  pulls  my  hair.  Father  says, 
'Betty,  be  still ! '  Oh,  Perdita,  do  come  home  ! " 

It  required  some  self-command  to  unclasp  quietly  the  arms  of 
her  pet,  which  were  suddenly  thrown  around  her  neck,  and  to 
put  away  from  her  cheek  the  tender  little  face  she  loved  so 
well  to  feel  pressing  hers  ;  but  with  those  curious  eyes  studying 
her,  she  forced  herself  to  composure. 

"  Now,  Betty,  don't  begin  to  cry.    Come  hither,  till  I  tell  you." 


The  Picnic  in  the  Wood.  177 

When  they  were  away  from  the  others,  she  knelt  upon  the 
ground  and  placed  the  mite  before  her. 

"  Listen,  Betty.  You  must  be  patient  just  a  little  while,  and 
I  promise  to  fetch  you  away.  You  shall  live  where  I  live,  and 
you  shall  never  leave  me  any  more — never,  never  !  But 
mind,  don't  speak  about  it  where  father  can  hear  you,  or  he 
won't  let  you  come.  Now,  can  you  be  good  and  quiet  till  I 
am  ready  ?  " 

"  I'll  try,"  answered  poor  Betty,  with  an  old  look  of  resigned 
sorrow;  "but  don't  be  long,  it  is  so  dreary." 

"  I  won't,  darling.  I'll  come  soon.  Now  we  will  all  hurry 
and  put  away  the  things,  and  go,  or  father  may  find  out  where 
we  are  and  spoil  our  meeting  next  Saturday." 

"  But  you'll  come  a  little  way  with  me,  won't  you  ?" 

"  Of  course  I  shall.  I  mean  to  carry  my  darling  in  my  arms, 
away  down  the  hill  to  the  old  apple-tree." 

The  artists  lingered  about  till  the  party  broke  up  ;  but  any 
expectation  they  might  have  encouraged  of  walking  home  with 
the  mistress  of  the  feast  were  now  signally  disappointed,  for 
she  bade  them  good  evening  in  the  most  careless  way,  making 
it  patent  that  she  had  neither  thoughts  nor  inclinations  in  their 
direction,  and  walked  briskly  off  among  her  brothers,  with 
Betty's  golden  hair  floating  on  her  shoulder,  and  Betty's  heart 
beating  close  to  her  own  so  strong  and  loving. 

Mr.  Slaughton  had  not  said  much  during  the  merry-making, 
but  he  had  gotten  some  food  for  reflection,  and  a  number  of  mind- 
pictures  which  often  presented  themselves  to  his  memory.  He 
might  have  named  them  every  one  :  "  Perdita  dressing  fish," 
"  Perdita  at  the  pool ; "  "  Perdita  worshipping  her  sister,"  and 
so  on.  Quite  amazing  pictures  they  were,  too  ;  vivid  in  color, 
pleasing  for  grace  and  expression,  really  startling  in  character. 

As  for  Perdita,  the  sibilant  song  of  the  grasshopper  never 
sounded  in  her  ears  without  recalling  to  her  this  first  afternoon 
under  the  old  oaks,  with  her  stranger-husband. 

8* 


178  "  With  Roses  and  Lilies  and  Daffadowndillies" 

CHAPTER  XXV. 
"WITH  ROSES  AND  LILIES  AND  DAFFADOWNDILLIES." 


|R.  SLAUGHTON,  I  wish  to  consult  you," 
said  the  young  housekeeper  on  the  fol 
lowing  Monday  morning,  as  she  turned 
from  the  piazza,  where  the  family  had 
taken  leave  of  Chandos  Goldsmith. 

"  Certainly,"  he  replied  politely,  bow 
ing  and  holding  open  the  library  door  for 
her  entrance.  It  might  have  been  be 
cause  she  had  treasured  every  one  of  the  unpleasant  things  he 
had  said,  that  she  felt  rising  resentment  at  what  appeared  to 
her  a  scarcely  controlled  feeling  of  bored  endurance  in  him. 

"  I  suppose  old  Hannah  has  been  equal  to  all  the  work  of 
the  house,"  she  began  without  any  introduction  ;  "  but  as  it  ap. 
pears  you  are  likely  to  be  subject  to  incursions  of  the  Goths 
and  Vandals  (excuse  the  phrase  ;  Teddy  is  forever  lugging  it 
into  his  talk),  I  meant  to  say ;  visits  from  your  friends,  like  this 
one  just  ended,  it  will  be  necessary,  for  the  credit  and  respecta 
bility  of  your  housekeeping,  to  get  more  servants,  to  be  retained 
while  you  may  remain  here." 

The  gentleman,  who  had  been  mentally  wondering  what  was 
to  be  the  theme  of  the  conversation,  watched  her  face  while  she 
spoke.  It  was  composed  and  business-like,  apparently  attend 
ing  only  to  the  subject  in  hand. 

"  You  will  oblige  me  by  arranging  their  number  and  quality 
to  suit  yourself,  and  let  me  thank  you  for  doing  it,"  he  said,  as 
soon  as  she  paused,  and  his  face  flushed  hotly.  "  I  assure  you 
I  have  been  much  mortified  by  their  lack." 

"  Indeed  !  I  hope  there  has  been  no  apparent  hitch  in  the 
housekeeping.  I  have  done  my  best ;  but,  as  I  am  not  blessed 


"  With  Roses  and  Lilies  and  Daffadowndillies  "  179 

with  several  pairs  of  hands,  I  dare  say  some  slips  were  visible 
— in  fact,'  I  know  there  must  have  been,  and  that  is  why  I  men 
tion  this  affair  to  you,  a  little  after  the  fashion  of  shutting  the 
stable  door  behind  the  stolen  steed.  But  I  suppose  Mr.  Gold 
smith  is  not  your  only  acquaintance,  and  I  desire  to  acquit 
myself  as  well  as  possible  next  time." 

"  I  have  friends  with  whom  I  occasionally  foregather  ;  but  if 
I  had  none,  it  does  not  appear  seemly  to  my  eyes  that  the  mis 
tress  of  the  house  should  cook  breakfasts,  however  admirable 
they  may  turn  out,  even  as  worthy  of  the  table  as  your  much  be- 
praised  fish-cakes." 

"  Indeed  !  "  replied  Perdita  in  real  or  pretended  amazement, 
"  my  father  thinks  otherwise ;  and  I  know  that  I  got  a  charac 
ter  as  cook  before  your  mother  made  up  her  mind  to  take  me. 
I  understand  then,  do  I,  that  you  see  the  plain  necessity  I  have 
brought  to  your  notice,  and  acquiesce  in  the  new  help." 

"  I  beg  that  you  will  fill  every  department,"  said  Mr. 
Slaughton  quickly. 

"  Of  course  I  shall,  since  you  sanction  it.  I  learn  that  the 
Vance  children  are  expected  ;  and  then  I  shall,  without  loss  of 
time,  proceed  to  assume  the  second  office  you  engaged  me  for. 
The  new  help  will  then  be  indispensable.  The  arrangement 
need  last,  however,  only  till  you  leave  the  country ;  because 
after  that  the  house  will  be  closed  to  guests,  I  dare  say,  and 
the  expenses  curtailed." 

The  husband  was  startled  by  so  plain  a  hint  that  his  absence 
was  counted  on  as  a  certainty,  and  puzzled  to  know  what  she 
meant  by  it,  as  he  had  made  no  announcement  of  his  going. 
While  he  was  thinking  about  this,  and  the  extremely  unpleasant 
attitude  his  mother  had  pushed  him  into,  she  spoke  again  : 

"  There  is  another  point  I  desire  to  mention."  She  raised 
her  head  and  brought  her  dark  eyebrows  together  in  a  slight 
frown.  "  No  house  can  have  two  mistresses,  any  more  than  a 
man  can  serve  two  masters.  Either  Mrs.  Slaughton,  your 
mother,  must  be  authority  here,  or  /  must  take  control.  If  it 


180  "  With  Roses  and  Lilies  and  Daffadowndillies. 

is  I,  I  will  not  tolerate  any  interference,  either  with  expendi 
tures  or  arrangements.  I  keep  accurate  accounts,  and  I  shall 
offer  to  you  every  month  my  book  of  disbursements,  for  exami 
nation  and  sanction." 

"  Poor  mother  ! "  thought  the  husband,  as  he  observed  the 
positiveness  and  determination  of  the  proud  young  creature 
before  him.  "  Did  1  not  warn  her,  and  isn't  she  coming  right 
into  the  thick  of  the  fusses  I  prophesied  ?  " 

"  I  understood  from  my  mother,  in  a  conversation  she  vouch 
safed  me  previous  to  a  certain  event " 

*'  No  wonder  you  hesitate  ;  the  event  had  so  slight  an  inter 
est  for  you  as  to  be  scarcely  worth  naming  or  mentioning;  you 
have  already  informed  me  it  assumed  not  the  least  importance 
in  your  mind.  Pray  go  on.  I  am  all  attention." 

"  Your  attention  would  certainly  be  most  flattering,  if  I  had 
sought  this  conversation ;  but  as  I  wait  on  your  conveni 
ence " 

"Your  mother,  you  were  about  to  say,  conversed  with 
you " 

"  Yes,  she  did,"  answered  he  almost  in  a  fume  ;  "  she  said 
she  ardently  desired  to  put  upon  you  the  entire  management 
of  the  household." 

"  I  am  glad  to  know  that ;  and  have  I  your  permission  to 
take  it  ?  "  she  added  pointedly. 

"  You  have  supreme  and  unlimited  power  to  do  just  what 
you  please." 

She  curled  her  lip  slightly  as  she  noticed  his  evasion. 

"  He  dodges  the  issue.  He  is  afraid  to  take  sides.  He  is 
afraid  of  a  couple  of  women — afraid  of  me,  for  instance." 

"  Thank  you  !  My  road  is  plain  now,"  said  she,  dropping 
her  eyes  to  veil  the  twinkle  of  amusement  she  felt  was  lighting 
them  at  their  queer  positions  and  his  disturbed  face. 

"  And  easy  also,  I  trust,"  he  replied. 

"  I  do  not  covet  ease.  I  should  not  know  what  to  do  with  it 
if  it  came  to  me,  especially  here.  I  only  know  a  life  full  of  work." 


"  With  Roses  and  Lilies  and  Daffadowndillies"  181 

"  Teaching  obstreperous  young  ones,  I  should  think,  would 
be  a  daily  penance  for  wicked  sinners.  You  will  soon  grow 
weary  of  it  and  leave  it  off." 

"  I  shall  not  leave  it  off,  if  I  do  get  weary  ;  because  it  is  the 
daily  price  and  payment  for  my  Bettine." 

She  made  her  answer  in  candid  simplicity,  and  tme  earnest, 
and  Mr.  Slaughton  looked  at  her  and  spoke  more  pleasantly 
than  he  would  have  thought  it  possible  he  could  ever  look  at 
and  speak  to  the  girl  he  did  not  admire. 

"  Now,  if  you  have  quite  finished  your  business  with  me  to 
your  liking,  I  must  beg  a  single  moment  of  your  time.  I  desire 
to  consult  you ." 

She  bowed,  and  drawing  herself  together,  to  be  ready  for 
whatever  might  be  coming  (and  she  of  course  expected  nothing 
agreeable),  she  waited  with  her  steady  glance  fixed  on  his 
face. 

"  Permit  me  to  ask  your  presence  in  the  dining-room."  He 
stepped  on  before  her,  with  an  easy  saunter,  as  if  neither  his 
time  nor  hers  were  of  value  to  anybody  except  themselves. 
The  parsonage  folks  did  not  walk  that  way.  They  went  as  if 
driven  by  stress  of  work  and  must  make  haste  to  coin  all  their 
minutes  into  something  to  keep  body  and  soul  together.  She 
had  noticed  the  same  careless  lavishness  in  Mr.  Goldsmith. 
He  was  never  in  a  hurry.  She  rather  liked  it,  and  the  thought 
passed  through  her  mind,  that  the  right  to  loiter,  and  rest,  and 
take  leisure,  must  be  pleasant.  But  she  did  not  propose  to 
herself  any  such  license.  She  even  noticed^  a  slight  movement 
of  the  gentleman's  shoulders,  which  nearly  amounted  to  a  hitch 
as  he  stepped,  and  that  she  scarcely  could  hear  his  footfalls  on 
the  thick  carpet.  The  parsonage  carpets  were  thin,  and  the 
Parson  made  the  place  resound  with  his  clumping  tread.  Mr. 
Slaughton' s  mode  of  progression  seemed  a  proper  and  suita 
ble  one,  he  being  an  independent  man,  able  to  make  his  own 
fashions  and  follow  his  own  likings  ;  and  it  was  not  by  any 
means  ungraceful  either ;  and  when  he  reached  back  to  his 


1 82  "  With  Roses  and  Lilies  and  Daffadowndillies" 

pocket  and  pulled  out  a  fine  white  handkerchief,  from  which  she 
caught  a  faint  perfume,  that  also  seemed  suitable.  The  Par 
son's  bandannas  would  have  been  out  of  place  for  this  gentle 
man  ;  and  they  were  never  redolent  of  spring  violets.  You  see, 
everything  about  her  was  as  new  to  Perdita  as  if  she  had  stepped 
into  another  world.  So  it  is  not  to  be  wondered  at  that  she 
observed  and  treasured  the  merest  trifles. 

"Here,  now,"  said  he  as  they  entered  within  the  door,  "you 
perceive  this  room  is  a  wretchedly  cramped  place  ;  quite  too  nar 
row  for  even  a  small  family.  It  will  scarcely  hold  the  thanks 
giving  turkey  and  chicken-pie,  to  say  nothing  of  their  consum 
ers.  I  hate  of  all  things  being  crushed  at  table  or  bumped 
by  servants  ;  you  must  have  noticed  the  inconveniences  of  the 
nook.  Now,  I've  been  thinking  that  if  we  were  to  inclose  the 
immense  piazza,  which  rears  the  whole  west  end  of  the  house, 
we  might  gain  an  admirable,  light,  roomy  hall,  just  suited  to  our 
purpose.  What  is  your  opinion  ?  " 

"  I  should  think  it  an  excellent  idea,  but  hardly  worth  your 
while  to  spend  so  much  money,  and  take  such  a  deal  of  trouble 
for  your  brief  stay  in  the  country." 

"  I  am  not  aware  of  having  announced  any  intention  of  de 
parture,"  replied  he  in  a  displeased  tone,  "  although  you  seem 
to  have  taken  up  the  idea  as  a  fixed  fact.  The  wish  is  father 
to  the  thought,  most  probably.  You  will  oblige  me  by 
no  further  reference  to  it.  It  looks  to  me  as  if  you  were  count 
ing  on  my  absence  and  dating  from  it." 

"  I  beg  your  pardon  most  humbly,  I'm  sure.  I  had  no  idea 
you  were  tetchy  on  the  subject.  I  happened  to  overhear  you 
proclaim  quite  positively  such  a  plan  in  a  conversation  with 
Mr.  Goldsmith.  Unless  I  am  mistaken,  you  not  only  said  you 
would  go  soon,  but  mentioned  also  the  object  and  terminus  of 
your  journey — killing  tigers  in  Timbuctoo  ;  and  of  course  I 
looked  at  the  departure  as  a  certainty.  My  lips  are  hereafter 
sealed.  The  idea  of  your  motions  being  of  consequence  to  any 
body  but  yourself,  and  especially  to  me,  is  simply  monstrous." 


"  With  Roses  and  Lilies  and  Daffadowndillies"  183 

"  No  doubt  that  is  your  view  of  the  matter.  Why  should 
they  interest*or  influence  you,  who  are  so  independent  of  all 
people  and  things?"  replied  Mr.  Slaughton,  who  was  much 
piqued  at  her  indifference,  and  also  somewhat  disconcerted, 
as  he  recalled  his  very  free  talk  with  his  friend,  and  wondered 
how  much  she  had  heard  of  it. 

"  On  the  contrary,  I  am  so  very  dependent  that  I  am  about 
to  remind  you  of  a  promise.  Sam,  you  scamp,  leave  my  hand 
alone." 

u  I  beg  pardon !  "  exclaimed  the  gentleman,  starting  back. 
"  Ah  !  I  see  it  is  the  puppy  who  annoys  you  with  familiarities." 

"  Yes,  sir,  only  the  dog." 

After  her  explanation  was  uttered,  it  sounded  so  very  absurd 
and  so  suggestive,  that  she  could  not  help  laughing  a  little. 

"  Don't  you  think  Scamp  would  be  a  good  name  for  the 
creature,  so  leaving  off  the  other  and  avoiding  all  chance  of 
confusion  ?  " 

"  But  is  not  that  an  unseemly  sequence,  or  definition  of  the 
one  I  gave  him  first  ?  and  besides,  your  touching  epitaph  must 
lose  all  its  point  and  rhyme." 

"  Not  of  necessity ;  it  might  be  revamped  thus,  for  instance  : 

"  Here  lies  a  poor  scamp, 
Who  found  a  dam  damp." 

"  Very  good,  indeed  !  but,  if  you  please,  I  shall  retain  the 
name  I  gave  him  at  his  baptism.  I  had  your  permission,  you  re 
member.  I  have  heard  that  it  brings  ill  luck  to  change.  And 
now  that  Mr.  Goldsmith  has  gone,  I  don't  see  the  need,  either. 
There  is  nobody  about  the  place  who  will  make  mistakes.  I 
notice  your  mother  always  calls  her  son  '  Sammy,'  when  she 
wishes  to  be  fond." 

She  made  the  word  so  flat  and  silly  in  her  pronunciation  that 
Mr.  Slaughton  changed  the  subject. 

"  You  mentioned  a  promise  of  mine,  I  think." 


1 84  "  With  Roses  and  Lilies  and  Daffadowndillies" 

"  I  did,  and  I  hope  you  are  still  in  the  mind  to  keep  it." 

"  You  may  be  sure  of  that,  whatever  it  was,"  replied  the  gen 
tleman  quite  eagerly,  considering  how  distasteful  to  him  was 
the  speaker. 

"  Thank  you.  I  want  my  sister  Bettine  to  come  here  when 
the  Vance  children  arrive." 

"  The  little  fairy  of  the  wood  ?  I  shall  be  most  happy  to 
welcome  such  a  beautiful  child.  I  must  make  Uncle  Sam  her 
especial  playfellow." 

Mr.  Slaughton's  warmth  was  something  malicious,  I  fear,  be 
cause  he  had  observed  quite  plainly  how  jealous  was  her  fond 
ness  for  the  mite. 

"  You  are  most  kind,  sir  ;  and  I  promise  you  she  shall  be  no 
charge  to  you  except  her  bit  and  sup." 

"  You  wish  to  insult  me,  it  appears,"  replied  he,  flushing 
deep ;  "  and  I  have  done  nothing  to  deserve  it — to-day,  at  any 
rate." 

"  Quite  true.  I  have  to  thank  you  for  your  patience.  I 
might  have  put  it  more  pleasantly.  Pray  excuse  the  seeming 
implication,  and  believe  you  were  not  in  my  thoughts.  I  must 
explain  exactly  what  it  was,  that  you  may  not  think  worse  of 
me  than  I  merit.  Your  mother  has  made  it  plain  that  she 
will  not  take  kindly  to  Betty's  presence  here.  Indeed,  1  am 
glad  I  am  already  used  to  economy,  or  I  might  be  worried  and 
discouraged  by  the  constant  harping  on  its  necessity.  I  cer 
tainly  do  not  intend  to  waste  your  substance." 

Her  voice  trembled,  and  he  thought  there  were  tears  in  her 
eyes,  and  saw  that  the  recollections  of  some  passages  there  had 
been  between  the  old  lady  and  herself  aroused  resentful  feel 
ings  ;  she  gave  him  no  time  to  speak  before  she  concluded  : 

"  I  don't  say  this  as  an  appeal  to  you.  I  want  no  inter 
ference  of  yours.  I  stated  my  expectations  in  the  very  start  of 
our  conference,  and  I  absolve  you  from  all  responsibility.  I 
shall  manage  as  well  as  I  can." 

Her  face  looked  so  downcast,  as  she  finished,  that  he  nearly 


"  With  Roses  and  Lilies  and  Daffadowndillies"  185 

felt  sorry  for  her.  He  knew  his  mother's  propensity  for  nag 
ging,  and 'he  felt  that  she  had  been  exercising  it  on  this 
stranger. 

"  Betty  will  be  most  welcome,  for  her  sweet  little  self;  and 
I  truly  hope  she  will  help  out  your  life,  which  I  know  must  be 
irksome  and  heavy,  and  is  about  to  become  more  so.  I  feel 
it  so  strongly  that  I  would  surely  lighten  it  if  I  knew  how." 

His  words  were  so  unexpected,  and  so  earnestly  kind,  that 
they  brought  a  quick,  vivid  flush  of  surprise  to  her  face,  and 
her  eyes  were  kindled  with  strange  light  as  she  answered  him. 

"  You  have  lightened  it,  Mr.  Slaughton.  Your  reception  of 
my  request  is  amazingly  noble.  I  truly  hope  my  sister  will  like 
you,  a  little — but  she  is  mine,  all  mine." 

Saying  this,  she  folded  her  arms  above  her  breast,  as  if  she 
guarded  a  treasure. 

"  But  I  hope  you  will  not  forbid  me  the  pleasure  of  a  little 
romp  with  her  occasionally  ;  and  while  we  are  rather  friendly, 
I  must  tell  you  I  do  not  relish  the  position  you  gave  me  Satur 
day.  I  never  in  my  life  before  appeared  in  the  character  of 
ogre.  I  do  not  find  the  role  suits  me." 

"  I  believe  I  do  not  quite  understand." 

"  Why,  just  this  :  young  people  generally  do  not  shrink  away 
and  get  dumb  at  sight  of  me." 

"  And  pray  who  does  ?  "  asked  she,  smiling  a  little. 

"  Your  sisters  and  brothers  ;  and  I  don't  like  it." 

"  The  children  of  the  father-in-law  whom  the  devil  gave  you 
to  pay  off  his  grudge,"  was  the  first  thought  which  came  to  Per- 
dita.  She  did  not  utter  it,  however.  "  They  are  reasonably 
fond  of  me,  and  I  dare  say  what  you  set  down  to  dislike  was 
only  awe  of  such  a  fine  gentleman." 

"  You  can  sneer,  it  appears,  as  smartly  as  a  fine  lady  !  I  am 
sorry  to  see  it.  I  had  a  dim  idea  that  we  might  be  friends." 

"  Friends,  Mr.  Slaughton,  must  meet  on  equal  ground,  and  I 
cannot  forget  your  declaration  that  this  arrangement  of  my  life 
assumed  not  the  slightest  importance  in  your  mind." 


1 86  "  With  Roses  and  Lilies  and  Daffadowndillies" 

"A  most  uncalled-for  and  unnecessary  remark  of  mine," 
said  the  gentleman,  striding  pettishly  about  the  room. 

"  You  made  it,  however,  and  you  also  told  me,  very  plainly, 
that  you  could  not  love  me.  Not  that  I  desire  any  affection  of 
yours,"  she  added  quickly.  "  I  merely  recall  your  words  to 
show  how  inconsistent  you  are.  Children  are  swift  observers  ; 
they  can  point  a  rapid  moral  and  draw  acute  conclusions.  Any 
carelessness  or  rudeness  to  their  Perdita  is  likely  to  be  resented 
by  my  brothers  and  sisters,  and  you  haven't  been  such  a  wonder 
of  affability  as  to  deserve  their  gratitude." 

"  I  might  have  been  more  agreeable,  perhaps,"  answered  Mr. 
Slatighton.  He  did  not  in  the  least  care  to  analyze  his  state  of 
mind.  He  saw  a  fresh,  candid  young  girl  before  him,  who  had 
come  and  said,  "  I  wish  to  consult  you,"  and  who  had  looked 
spirited,  vexed,  astonished,  pleased,  grateful — nearly  humble — 
and  decidedly  provoking,  during  the  few  minutes  just  passed, 
and  he  found  her  interesting  in  each  phase  she  had  shown  him 
of  her  character,  notwithstanding  her  black  brows,  her  intense 
eyes  ;  and  in  spite  of  all  that  was  said  and  done,  he  really 
wanted  to  be  easy  and  agreeable.  I  don't  know  at  which  pre 
cise  point  of  time  he  had  discerned  such  a  desire  among  his 
wishes,  but  he  certainly  felt  it  now.  He  had  got  to  sit  opposite 
to  her  every  day,  and  he  found  it  was  not  so  dreadful  as  he  had 
at  first  considered  it ;  and  he  called  after  her  as  she  turned  to 
go,  although  her  parting  speech  was  not  conciliatory. 

"  I  am  not  able  to  give  an  opinion  on  your  capacity  for  being 
agreeable,  as  I  have  never  seen  you  try  your  powers."  That 
was  what  she  said,  and  she  gave  her  head  a  little  toss  as  she 
said  it,  and  stepped  off  without  looking  at  him. 

"  Stay  one  moment.  I'll  try  not  to  be  churlish  now,  at 
any  rate,  while  you  give  me  your  opinion  on  the  new  dining- 
room." 

"  With  all  my  heart,  sir.     I  am  quite  at  your  service." 

"  Then  please  step  out  on  the  piazza,  where  we  can  get  the 
true  bearings  of  the  case.  Now,  for  instance,  if  we  were  to 


"  With  Roses  and  Lilies  and  Daffadowndillies"  187 

put  glass  doors  in  the  centre,  and  a  conservatory  beyond,  open 
ing  into  it,  a"nd  steps  leading  down " 

"  Oh,  a  conservatory  !  "  exclaimed  Perdita.  "  I  never  saw 
one  in  my  life.  I  have  read  about  them  in  novels  ;  it  should  be 
beautiful ;  but  that  is  not  economy." 

"  I  hate  that  word  !  "  burst  out  the  gentleman.  "  It  has  a 
mean,  sordid,  pinched  sound,  most  unpleasant,  not  to  say  rasp 
ing.  Pray  drop  it  !  It  is  not  the  business  of  life  to  study  how 
little  we  can  spend,  but  how  much  enjoyment  can  be  got  out  of 
our  money." 

"  That  sounds  pleasant,"  replied  Perdita,  shaking  her  head  ; 
"  but  it  is  in  such  direct  opposition  to  all  my  teaching  at  home, 
and  here  also,  that  I  am  afraid  it  is  heresy." 

"  It  is  safe  for  you  to  forget  all  previous  lessons  and  com 
mence  a  new  chapter,  /am  authority  on  that  topic  in  this 
house,"  replied  Mr.  Slaughton,  with  such  haughty  decision  as 
made  his  face  quite  commanding. 

"  I  am  convinced.  Pray  go  on."  Perdita  liked  so  much  the 
power  and  will  she  recognized  in  him  that  she  listened  and 
looked  at  him  with  a  good  degree  of  complacency.  She  almost 
felt  as  if  he  might  get  to  be  a  requiting  study. 

"  About  fifty  feet  wide,  I  should  say,  with  roses  climbing  up 
the  pillars  ;  cape  jessamines  in  tubs,  camellias,  and  orange 
trees  in  the  centre  on  a  raised  bed  ;  and  mounting  to  the  roof, 
and  along  the  sides,  all  sorts  of  sweet  flowering  things,"  explain 
ed  Mr.  Slaughton,  waving  his  hand  about  enthusiastically,  in 
spired  by  her  flushed  and  eager  attention.  "  I've  been  think 
ing  you  might  like  a  house  full  of  blooming  plants,  since  I 
noticed  you  hanging  over  the  tea-rose  in  the  window  yonder.  " 

"  Teddy  bought  me  that  with  some  money  he  earned  chop 
ping  wood  for  Mr.  Easy.  I  had  its  first  blossom  too.  Oh, 
yes.  I  love  it  dearly." 

She  stopped  short.  A  sudden  memory  flashed  over  her  of 
the  time  and  place  when  and  where  she  had  worn  the  flower, 
and  she  felt  so  much  afraid  that  the  husband  before  her  might 


1 88  "  With  Roses  and  Lilies  and  Daffadowndillies" 

suppose  she  was  cherishing  some  recollections  of  the  bridegroom 
among  her  secret  treasures,  that  she  looked  quite  cross  and 
scornful. 

"  Of  course,"  said  Mr.  Slaughton,  drawing  back  in  a  hurt 
way,  "I  don't  suppose  any  roses  /  could  gather  here  could 
give  you  the  same  sort  of  pleasure  as  that  does." 

"  Certainly  not,"  she  replied  hurriedly.  "  Teddy  denied 
himself  to  buy  it,  and  I  think  of  that.  Gifts  from  those  we 
love,  which  have  cost  them  some  striving,  are  always  precious." 
"  I  am  too  old  to  chop  wood,  I  am  afraid,  and  unfortunately 
I  am  not  able  to  make  any  sacrifices  to  build  a  green-house. 
So  the  poor,  prosaic  flowers  will  have  to  waste  their  sweetness 
in  a  very  hum-drum  way ;  in  fact,  I  ought  perhaps  to  hesitate 
before  I  add  to  your  cares  the  trouble  of  culling  them." 

"  You  like  nosegays  on  your  table,"  replied  she,  appearing 
to  consider,  although  she  could  not  help  seeing  how  piqued  and 
annoyed  as  he  was.  She  was  glad  she  had  been  able  to  ex 
plain  about  Teddy's  rose,  so  that  he  must  see  he  had  no  share 
in  her  liking  for  the  gift. 

"  Yes,  if  that  is  the  way  you  choose  to  put  it.  They  are  a 
necessity  to  me  ;  their  presence  is  inspiration,  their  perfume 
an  elixir." 

I  "  I  shall  not  mind  the  trouble  in  the  least,  and  I  truly  thank 
you,"  she  added  with  pleasant  frankness  which  ignored  the 
sneer  in  his  answer.  "You  will  not  lack  a  posy  for  every 
meal.  You  might  have  been  disagreeable  about  Betty,  and  you 
were  not ;  you  might  have  omitted  to  furnish  me  this  enchant 
ing  occupation,  and  you  have  not  omitted  it,  for  I  must  confess 
that  a  prospect  of  hours  among  lovely  blooming  flowers  en 
chants  me.  You  are  exceeding  kind  and  pleasant,  and  I  am 
willing  to  be  grateful." 

Mr.  Slaughton  smiled  at  her  significant  phrase,  which  clearly 
defined  her  state  of  mind  towards  him. 

"  I  hope  you  are  also  willing  to  come  to  the  library  after 
tea,  and  look  at  some  plans,"  he  asked  in  a  glad  tone.  "  I 


"  With  Roses  and  Lilies  and  Daffadowndillies"  189 

shall  set  the  men  at  work  to  break  ground  immediately,  and  it 
will  go  hard  if  we  are  not  able  to  deck  our  Christmas  with 
flowers." 

"  .1  will  come  right  gladly.  I  like  drawing  plans,  of  all 
things.  I  have  always  dreamed  of  houses  I  would  build." 

Perdita  thought  so  many  new  thoughts  that  morning,  that  she 
was  obliged  to  remind  herself  quite  firmly  who  and  what  she 
was,  and  who  was  the  man  she  had  left,  and  also  that  Sabrina 
Bradshaw  was  the  only  woman  in  the  world  worth  loving. 

Mr.  Slaughtou  took  a  long  walk,  and  he  took  Perdita  with 
him  in  his  mind  ;  and  though  the  dog,  who  had,  contrary  to 
his  custom,  volunteered  to  accompany  him,  was  very  trouble 
some  in  his  jum pings  and  obstreperous  gambols,  he  received 
no  rebuke.  Yet  he  must  have  been  a  reminder  of  the  mistress 
who  had  adopted  him,  as  she  had  looked  down  by  the  margin 
of  the  pool  when  she  had  refused  any  gift  from  a  man  she  did 
not  like,  and  had  finally  accepted  the  puppy  to  save  his  life. 
He  also  recalled  every  word  she  had  just  uttered,  and  had  a 
precise  and  living  picture  of  her,  from  her  coal-black  hair  to 
her  crimson  stockings  and  trim  shoes  tied  with  red  ribbons ; 
and  he  looked  forward  to  the  evening's  consultation  with  in 
terest,  when  he  should  find  himself  in  her  company,  with  op 
portunity  to  look  at  and  listen  to  her  again. 


190  The  Dog  Sain  has  an  Escape. 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 

THE    DOG   SAM    HAS    AN    ESCAPE. 

BOX  had  just  arrived  by  express  for 
Mrs.  Slaughton.  Mr.  Slaughton  brought 
it  up  himself  from  the  village.  Perdita 
chanced  to  be  on  the  piazza  when  he 
appeared,  selecting  some  wax-berries  and 
rose-tips  with  which  she  had  a  fancy 
to  fill  a  vase  for  her  room.  This  seemed 
fortunate,  as  it  saved  the  gentleman  from 
a  dilemma.  He  had  never  yet  addressed  her  by  her  new 
name ;  and  he  shrank  also  from  the  familiarity  of  calling 
her  by  the  one  her  christening  gave  her  ;  and  as  he  never  spoke 
of  her  except  in  reply  to  the  remarks  of  others,  he  had  thus 
far  avoided  the  necessity  of  speaking  words  which  refused  to 
form  themselves  on  his  lips. 

"Mrs.  Slaughton,"  Chandos  had  said,  when  he  left  her  the 
morning  of  his  departure,  "I  am  going  to  send  you  those 
flowers  we  talked  of.  It  is  rather  late  for  planting,  but  they 
will  do  well  if  got  in  immediately,  and  I  know  you  have  not 
forgotten  all  the  learning  on  the  subject  I  was  at  such  pains 
to  show  off.  We  w^ll  have  parroquettes  gay  as  a  butterfly's  wing. 
Nonpareils  as  red — as  red  as  your  shoe-ribbons.  Heaven  save 
me  !  I  came  near  saying  stockings — and  how  dreadfully  im 
proper  that  would  have  been.  And  I  will  add  some  bulbs 
whose  creamy  flower-cups  nod  and  bend  over  the  pool  to 
admire  their  beauty,  when  they  get  the  chance,  like  that  vain 
fellow  Narcissus  (vanity  in  a  man  is  abominable ;  I  thank 
heaven  I  am  not  as  other  men)  ;  and  some  annunciation  lilies, 
such  as  the  angel  bears  in  his  hand  (Sam  can  tell  you  lots  of 
things  about  those  old  pictures) ;  and  some  of  the  blue  Iris 
which  the  goddess  brought  with  her  when  she  descended  from 


The  Dog  Sam  has  an  Escape.  191 

the  rainbow,  and  hosts  of  others ;  and  when  I  come  next 
summer  (I  know  you  are  going  to  invite  me),  we'll  have  the 
retired  leisure  which  "in  trim  gardens  takes  its  pleasure,  and  I'll 
help  you  weed." 

Perdita  was  delighted  with  the  gift.  Nobody  had  ever  given 
her  anything  before,  except  a  pattern  of  home-made  flannel  at 
one  of  the  parsonage  donations,  or  a  hank  of  stocking-yarn, 
which  she  had  to  knit  for  "the  boys" — and  she  hated  knitting. 

A  box  by  express,  sent  on  purpose  to  give  her  pleasure  ;  not 
even  the  Mrs.  Slaughton  which  stared  at  her  on  the  cover,  and 
which  looked  so  new  and  strange,  could  destroy  her  satisfaction. 

She  was  so  eager  and  so  bright,  while  her  husband  made 
good  his  civil  offer  to  draw  the  nails  and  open  the  case,  that  he 
more  than  half  wished  he  had  been  the  author  instead  of  the 
messenger  of  the  gratification  ;  that  is,  he  did  not  entirely  relish 
being  obliged  to  witness  such  enjoyment  of  so  small  a  treat 
offered  by  an  outsider,  and  recalled  to  his  memory  how,  on 
the  occasion  of  his  proposed  lavishness  in  the  matter  of  the 
conservatory,  which  would  be  a  whole  houseful  of  blooms, 
beside  which  these  poor  dozen  or  so  were  not  fit  to  be  men 
tioned,  she  had  been  careful  to  make  him  distinctly  under 
stand  that  it  was  his  property  of  which  he  spoke,  and  she  felt 
nothing  more  than  a  steward's  right  in  it.  She  had  said,  you 
shall  not  lack  a  posy  for  your  table.  But  she  had  on  the 
whole  been  rather  nice  during  that  colloquy,  and  he  had 
decidedly  enjoyed  the  chat  over  the  plans  in  the  evening. 

"  You  seem  quite  excited  about  your  tulips,"  said  he  with 
some  scorn  as  he  drew  them  from  their  bedding  of  moss.  "  I 
have  seen  ladies  make  less  ado  over  costly  gems." 

"  I  did  not  know  I  was  making  an  ado,  sir." 

"  No,  of  course,  not  an  ado.  The  word  was  ill-chosen.  I 
meant  only  to  say  how  refreshing  it  is  to  meet  a  woman  from 
whom  a  trifle  like  this  can  draw  out  so  much  ecstasy.  You 
looked  as  you  look  now,  I  dare  say,  when  you  got  the  precious 
tea-rose." 


192  The  Dog  Sam  has  an  Escape. 

"  My  appearance  or  feelings  in  any  part  of  my  life  cannot 
have  the  slightest  importance  to  you.  So  I  wonder  at  your 
making  them  the  theme  of  remark,"  replied  Perdita,  drawing 
back  haughtily. 

"Let  us  change  the  subject  at  once,  and  talk  of  something 
which  has  vital  and  present  interest  to  one  of  us  at  least.  Where 
will  you  plant  these  bulbs  ?  " 

"  As  they  must  go  into  your  ground,  it  is  proper  for  you  to 
appoint  the  spot.  I  hope  you  will  allow  them  a  sunny  one." 

"  I  am  at  your  service  now,  if  you  choose  to  come  out  and 
select  such  as  suits  you." 

"  Please  lose  no  time,  then,  for  Mr.  Goldsmith  told  me  it 
was  already  almost  too  late." 

"  Won't  you  let  me  put  them  in  for  you.  I  will  engage  to 
do  it  by  plummet  and  line,  the  depth  of  the  trowel,  as  all  good 
florists  order. " 

"  If  you  are  inclined  to  undertake  such  hard  work,"  said 
Perdita  in  surprise. 

"Why  should  I  not,  pray?" 

"I  thought  you  detested  exertion.  Mr.  Goldsmith  said  you 
were " 

"  Well,  what  ?  I  pause  to  learn  what  I  am. 

"  I  am  as  I  am,  and  so  will  I  be ; 
But  how  that  I  am,  none  knoweth  trulie. 
Be  it  ill,  be  it  well,  be  I  bond,  be  I  free, 
I  am  as  I  am,  and  so  will  I  be  ! " 

"Since  you  are  so  fixed  and  firm,  it  can  do  you  no  harm  to 
tell  you  your  friend's  opinion.  He  called  you  lazy."  Perdita 
waited  in  malicious  silence  for  the  effect  she  expected  from  the 
word  which  had  been  such  a  stigma  and  reproach  at  the  par 
sonage  ;  but  he  laughed  easily  as  at  a  good  joke. 

"  Lazy,  said  Chandos,  did  he  ?  Well,  so  I  am,  unless 
I  see  good  cause  and  reason  for  activity.  Nevertheless,  I  can 
dig  and  delve  with  the  best  of  them.  There  is  no  time  like  the 


The  Dog  Sam  has  an  Escape.  193 

present  when  one  has  a  labor  to  accomplish  ;  therefore,  come 
to  the  gar-den,  Maud." 

"  Jocular  and  merry  with  the  brow  of  Egypt,  are  you  ?  "  said 
Perdita,  looking  after  him  as  he  stepped  away  to  fetch  the 
necessary  implements  for  their  task.  "Not  but  the  banter  and 
jest  become  you,  too.  I  wonder  if  gentlemen  are  wont  to  be 
so  amiable  towards  their  housekeeper  or  governess  ?  "  Pretty 
soon  he  joined  her,  bringing  a  hoe  and  spade ;  and  he  was 
whistling,  actually  whistling. 

"  We  still  lack  a  narrow  board  for  measure,"  said  the  amateur 
florist,  when  they  had  fixed  on  a  sunny  bed  for  their  digging. 
"  I  dare  not  trust  my  eye  in  so  important  a  piece  of  work.  I 
desire  to  shine  in  my  new  occupation.  I  intend  to  point  a 
moral  for  Slowgo.  I  shall  set  him  a  pattern." 

While  he  was  gone  to  the  workshop  in  search  of  what  he 
needed,  Perdita  heard  a  vociferous  barking  and  yelping,  .which 
seemed  to  suggest  that  the  setter  Sam  was  in  mischief  or  in 
trouble,  or  perhaps  both. 

From  the  hour  of  his  arrival  at  the  mansion,  he  had  been  the 
drollest,  sauciest  wag  of  a  dog  that  ever  wagged  a  handsome 
tail.  He  had  at  once  adopted  the  family,  and  showed  each 
member  such  attention  as  seemed  to  him  their  due.  He  frol 
icked  and  did  tricks  for  his  mistress  ;  he  took  care  of  the  master's 
slippers,  and  he  put  them  where  he  liked  best  to  have  them, 
in  odd  corners,  under  the  piazza,  or  up-garret.  He  set  at  and 
worried  the  old  lady,  and  he  purloined  and  hid  Hannah's  pos 
sessions,  till  he  got  to  know  right  well  the  look  and  feel  of  her 
broomstick. 

Away  over  in  the  clothes-yard  he  had  found  the  dame,  and 
was  engaged  in  a  paw-to-paw  encounter  with  her,  and  now  he 
was  sitting  on  her  barege  cape-bonnet,  and  gnawing  the  reeds, 
which  snapped  between  his  sharp  teeth  like  nuts  to  crack,  as 
indeed  they  seemed  to  be  to  him.  He  had  come  on  her  in  a 
corner  made  by  two  grape-trellises,  and  he  kept  her  there,  wor 
rying  her  and  shaking  her  skirts  whenever  she  attempted  to 
9 


194  The  Dog  Sam  has  an  Escape. 

pass  him  ;  and  every  time  she  reached  out  to  reclaim  her  head 
gear  he  would  make  a  dash  at  her  and  threaten  her  ankles. 
The  scolding  voice  in  which  she  hallooed  at  him  seemed  but  to 
amuse  and  encourage  him,  and  he  replied  as  well  as  he  was 
able  with  very  well  accented  and  expressive  barks. 

"  You  hateful  brute ! "  said  she,  "  quit  chawing  up  my 
calash  !  I  wish  you  was  skinned  alive,  I  do  ! " 

"  Bow-wow-r-r-r-r-ow — bow-wow,"  he  retorted. 

"  Once  in  a  while  she  managed  to  drop  a  blow  on  his  nose, 
which  he  took  in  excellent  spirit,  as  part  of  the  pleasant  little 
game  they  were  playing.  He  gave  his  head  a  shake,  lopping 
his  ears  and  sneezing,  and  then  looking  at  her  sidewise  with  a 
roguish  leer  in  his  bright  eyes  which  seemed  to  say,  "  Come, 
now  !  be  sharp  !  what  will  you  do  next  ?  " 

He  had  no  reason  to  like  the  dame.  She  was  his  enemy 
from  the  first.  She  chased  him  out  of  the  house  ;  she  grudged 
him  even  the  barest  bones,  and  his  mistress  was  obliged  herself 
to  attend  to  his  meals  to  insure  his  peaceful  devourance  of 
them;  and  having  treed  his  prey,  so  to  speak,  there  is  no  know- 
ing  how  long  he  would  have  kept  her  there,  had  not  Hannah 
come  to  make  a  third  in  the  engagement,  bringing  her  broom 
with  her. 

"You  fetch  out  the  tea-kettle,  and  give  the  nasty  pest  a  good 
scald  ;  maybe  that'll  drive  him  off  for  good." 

"  That  will  I,  mistress,"  replied  Hannah,  with  ready  alacrity. 

Perdita  could  not  hear  the  order,  but  she  felt  suspicious  of 
some  ill-usage  for  her  favorite,  and  still  more  when  she  saw  the 
old  lady  come  out  on  the  piazza  after  a  brief  stay  in  the  kitchen, 
with  a  plate  of  bones  which  she  threw  down  to  him,  such 
remarkable  generosity  looked  alarming.  And  then,  with  the 
careless  cruelty  women  will  use  towards  troublesome  animals 
and  vermin,  Hannah  appeared,  bearing  the  steaming  kettle 
in  her  two  hands,  and  the  poor  puppy,  busy  with  their  treat, 
was  about  to  suffer  a  cruel  torture. 

Perdita  sprang  forward  with  flying  steps,  keeping  her  eyes 


The  Dog  Sam  has  an  Escape.  195 

fixed  on  them  ;  but  before  she  had  passed  over  half  the  distance 
she  stopped  short.  Mr.  Slaughton  was  among  them.  He  had 
seized  the  kettle  when  a  single  drop  had  not  yet  been  shed, 
and  she  heard  his  voice  loud  and  angry. 

"  Good  heavens,  mother,  what  ferocious  angels  you  women 
are  able  to  be !  the  men  who  would  in  cold  blood  boil  the  hide 
off  a  dog  are  not  plenty  this  side  the  Feejee  Islands." 

"  He's  a  nasty,  scratching,  messy  torment,  Samuel.  I  want 
to  drive  him  off  the  place ;  he's  no  business  here,  any  way.  I 
can't  bear  him." 

"  You  will  have  to  bear  him,  mother;  he  belongs  to  the  lady 
of  the  house." 

"  No,  he  don't,  either.     I'm  the  lady  of  the  house  myself." 

"Oh,  I  beg  your  pardon,  you  are  old  Mrs.  Slaughton,"  re 
plied  her  son  with  a  malicious  smile. 

"I  don't  feel  in  the  mood  for  jesting,  and  I  wish  you  would 
give  back  that  tea-kettle  before  the  water  all  gets  cold." 

"  You  may  put  away  the  utensil,  Hannah ;  the  puppy  has 
taken  care  of  himself.  There  he  goes,  bounding  along,  as 
merry  as  if  you  admired  him.  Mother,  if  you  cannot  be 
generous,  try  at  least"  to  be  just." 

"  Hoity  toity  ;  I  don't  understand  this  kind  of  talk." 

"Won't  you  please  make  an  effort  to  comprehend,  then?" 
added  the  gentleman,  after  the  servant  had  gone.  "  You  have 
introduced  into  this  household  a  young  girl  who  has  rights — 
her  rights  must  be  respected." 

"I  hope  you  don't  mean  to  encourage  Perdita  in  fetching  all 
sorts  of  pets  about  the  place." 

"  The  dog  /gave  her  ;  she  did  not  ask  it  of  me.  She  seems 
fond  of  him ;  let  her  get  what  comfort  out  of  his  friendship 
she  is  able.  Hannah,"  he  added,  as  the  servant  approached 
with  a  panful  of  apple-parings  she  designed  for  the  pigs,  "you 
must  not  molest  or  ill-treat  the  dog ;  and  if  I  know  that  you 
drive  him  away,  I  shall  be  displeased." 

"I  don't  owe  the  creature  no  grudge,  I'm  sure,"  grumbled 


196  The  Dog  Sam  has  an  Escape. 

Hannah.  "  He  may  sit  hisself  down  and  bide  till  he's  gray,  for 
all  I  care." 

Mr.  Slaughton  found  Perdita  where  he  had  left  her.  She  was 
seated  on  the  turf  assorting  the  bulbs,  and  she  helped  him  plant 
them  out.  She  chatted  and  smiled  quite  pleasantly,  and  her 
bright  face  and  brisk,  pliant  motions  made  the  task  a  real 
pleasure. 

"  He  can  be  both  just  and  generous,  when  he  sees  best" 
This  was  her  conclusion.  She  felt  grateful,  and  did  not  mind 
letting  him  know  that  she  did,  and  they  both  looked  good- 
humored,  and  actually  loitered  a  couple  of  minutes  after  the 
last  row  was  placed  and  the  bed  raked  smoothly,  and  he  lifted 
his  hat  with  a  very  friendly  bow  when  he  left  her  at  the  door. 

*'  I  trust  our  morning's  work  will  give  you  a  host  of  flowers 
next  spring." 

"  If  they  do  thrive  I  shall  be  obliged  to  thank  you  for  them." 

"  And  a  thankful  frame  of  mind  is  not  one  which  you  desire 
much  to  cultivate." 

"  It  is  certainly  not  habitual  to  me.  Thus  far  I  have  never 
found  great  cause  or  occasion." 

"  Perhaps  the  future  will  be  more  propitious." 

"  Perhaps." 

Mr.  SlaUghton  walked  off  very  fast.  "  Paying  compliments, 
are  you,  sir  ?  "  he  said  to  himself,  "  as  glib  and  sweet-voiced  as 
Chandos.  Come,  don't  be  a  fool,  if  you  please.  First  you 
know,  the  girl  will  be  getting  fond  of  you." 


Pcrdita    Carries  a  Point  with  the  Parson.       197 
CHAPTER   XXVII. 

PERDITA    CARRIES   A   POINT  WITH    THE   PARSON. 


ELL,  mother,"  exclaimed  Perdita,  as  she 
stepped  into  the  keeping-room  of  the  old 
parsonage.  "  I've  come  to  take  the  bull 
by  the  horns,  that  is,  I'm  going  to  speak 
to  father  about  Betty." 

"  Oh  dear  !  must   you  do  it  to-day  ?  '', 
'replied  Mrs.  Hethwaite  uneasily.  "  Hadn't 
you  better  put  it  off  a  little  longer  ?  " 

"  No  ;  the  Vances  are  coming,  and  I  must  settle  it  now." 
"  Oh,  how  the  blood  does  rush  to  my  head  !     I  feel  so  bad. 
I'm  afraid  he  will  say  no.  Do  be  careful !  try  to  look  obedient." 
"  You  are  nervous,  mother.     I  don't  see  how  he  can  refuse. 
He  must  see  it  is  a  great  good  for  his  child  ;  he  will  be  relieved 
of  her  keep,  and  I  can  do  plenty  of  things  he  is  not  able  to 
compass,  even  if  he  had  the  will." 

"If  you  so  much  as  hint  that,  Perdita,  you  will  lose  her.  J 
really  believe  he  would  choose  to  have  us  all  starve  before  w< 
took  help  from  an  outsider.  It  would  need  more  crosses  than, 
he  has  ever  had  yet  to  crush  out  his  pride." 

"  I  wish  his  pride  ran  to  working  for  you,  mother.  I  should 
think  a  good  deal  more  of  it." 

"  Couldn't  you  manage  so  as  to  have  it  seem  somehow  as  if 
you  didn't  care  much  about  it,  and  felt  it  a  pity  to  take  her  away 
from  home,  such  religious  privileges,  and  his  teachings." 

"  No,  mother,  I  can't ;  and  you  don't  want  me  to  lie, 
either." 

"  Of  course,  not  lie ;  but  Saint  Paul  says  we  must  be  all 
things  to  all  men,  if  thereby  we  may  gain  some." 


198        Perdita  Carries  a  Point  ivit/i  the  Parson. 

"  Which  means,  according  to  your  rendering,  let  us  cajole 
and  hoodwink  so  as  to  carry  our  point.  No,  thank  you, 
mother.  I  begin  to  think  I  might  cajole  father,  bear  as  he  is  ; 
but  I  won't." 

Mrs.  Hethwaite  looked  at  her  daughter  in  a  startled  way, 
and  without  answering  she  stooped  again  to  the  ironing  which 
had  busied  her  hands  when  she  was  interrupted. 

"  Mother  !  where's  Dolly,  that  she  is  not  helping  you  ? " 
asked  Perdita,  observing  how  weary  and  worn  she  looked. 

"  I  can't  get  much  out  of  Dolly  ;  she's  too  flighty  ;  she's  as 
fond  of  play  as  a  child  ;  no  whipping  could  ever  beat  it  out  of 
her,  I  do  believe." 

"  You  sit  down  and  rest,  mother ;  I  am  going  to  finish  that 
basketful." 

"  Oh,  no  ;  I  can't  let  you  slave  in  two  houses.  I  didn't  put 
up  with  what  I  have,  in  getting  you  loose,  to  fetch  you  into 
this  drudgery  when  you  are  free." 

"  But,  mother,  I  love  to  work  for  you  ?  " 

"  Do  you  ?  now,  I  want  to  know.  It  is  queer  how  kinder 
natural  that  sounds  ;  my  children  don't  talk  to  me  like  that ; 
but  I  used  to  say  such  things  to  my  mother,  and  she  used  to 
kiss  me.  Oh,  deary  me  !  what  a  queer  thing  life  is  !  I  had  such 
a  good  mother." 

"  Oh,  mother  !  dear,  precious  mother  !  "  As  Perdita  poured 
out  these  rapid  words,  she  hugged  the  unresisting  lady  in  her 
arms,  and  covered  her  poor  faded  face  with  eager  kisses.  So 
sudden  and  violent  was  the  impulse  which  had  burst  all  bonds 
of  habit  and  education,  and  so  warm  and  hearty  was  the  glow 
ing  girl,  that  the  mother  quite  broke  down,  and  made  no 
attempt  to  check  the  sobs  as  she  lay  in  the  arms  of  her  child, 
whose  bright  eyes  were  wet  with  tears.  The  old  lady  was  the 
first  to  speak,  and  as  she  did  so  she  struggled  to  free  herself 
from  the  embrace  which  held  her  fast 

"  Your  father  might  come,  Perdita.  There  !  isn't  that 
him  ?  " 


Perdita  Carries  a  Point  with  the  Parson.          199 

Such  a  condensed  history  of  her  wedded  experiences  needs 
no  comment. 

Perdita  thought  so,  and  with  a  parting  squeeze,  she  wheeled 
around.  Taking  a  hot  iron  from  the  stove,  she  began  to  work 
as  fast  as  she  could. 

Parson  Hethwaite  came  in  presently,  and  seeing  his  daughter, 
he  bowed  quite  ceremoniously,  calling  her  "  Mrs.  Slaughton," 
as  he  had  taken  pains  to  do  ever  since  her  marriage. 

Although  Perdita  felt  the  change  in  his  manner,  and  was 
willing  to  profit  by  the  new  state  of  mind,  she  did  not  find  that 
she  experienced  any  access  of  affection  for  him.  On  the  con 
trary,  she  could  not  subdue  a  rising  of  resentment  and  dis 
pleasure.  "  He  worships  the  Mammon  of  unrighteousness,  for 
all  his  religion ;  and  feels  more  respect  for  the  owners  in 
possession,  than  the  inheritors  of  all  things  who  look  for  their 
portion  in  the  heaven  he  preaches." 

"  You  observe,  I  fall  naturally  into  my  old  place,  father," 
said  she.  "  I  should  not  be  a  mite  surprised  if  you  were  to 
box  my  ears,  or  send  me  to  bed  without  any  supper." 

"  That  sort  of  discipline  ceased  with  your  second  decade, 
Mrs.  Slaughton,  which  also  installed  you  mistress  of  a  fine 
mansion." 

"  You  make  so  little  of  the  husband,  which  was  a  part  of  the 
bargain,  that  you  astonish  me,  since  I  know  how  much  you 
have  always  made  of  the  one  my  mother  took,  when  she  left  off 
being  Violet  Wemple." 

Being  warned  by  a  deprecatory  gesture  from  the  poor  wife, 
she  remembered  how  much  she  needed  to  be  pleasant  and 
conciliatory;  and  before  the  Parson  had  time  to  look  all  the 
astonishment  he  felt,  she  proceeded  rapidly  : 

"  I've  come  on  business  this  morning,  father;  Mr.  Slaughton 
has  promised  Bettine  a  home  with  me,  and  I  stepped  over  to 
mention  the  matter  to  you.  The  plan  is  so  good  for  all  parties, 
that  I  know  it  needs  no  discussion  ;  you  will  be  relieved  of  ex 
pense  about  her,  and  she  will  receive  an  education  with  the 


2OO        Perdita  Carries  a  Point  with  the  Parson. 

Vance  children,  whom  /  am  to  teach.  In  fact,  I  give  the 
lessons  to  them  on  the  condition  that  she  shares  them,  so 
I  feel  that  1  owe  the  Slaughtons  nothing,  as  the  salary  of  a^ 
governess,  which  I  save  them,  would  be  double — yes,  more  than 
double  what  Bettine's  living  will  cost." 

While  she  went  on  volubly,  explaining  and  dilating,  the  wife's 
anxious  face  was  a  study — it  mirrored  so  many  emotions  :  fear, 
lest  her  husband  might  refuse,  being  predominant ;  and  perhaps 
it  was  lucky  his  attention  did  not  happen  to  be  drawn  to  her 
fidgeting  and  grimaces,  or  his  contrariness  might  have  been 
aroused. 

"  Mrs.  Slaughton,  I  must  say  you  are  developing  the  excel 
lent  sense  and  sound  judgment  I  had  the  right  to  expect  from 
the  careful  and  judicious  training  I  have  bestowed  upon  you. 
I  consider  it  my  duty  to  fall  in  with  the  leadings  of  Provi 
dence,  which  seem  quite  plain  in  the  child's  behalf,  so  far  as 
to  consent  to  her  present  removal  from  the  paternal  roof, 
reserving,  of  course,  the  right  to  decide  whether  or  no  the  atmos 
phere  of  your  house  is  good  for  her.  And  should  I  detect  in  hex 
vainglorying  or  lightness  unbecoming  the  offspring  of  a  Chris 
tian  minister,  I  shall  assert  my  authority  as  beseems  me 
best." 

"  Yes,  you'd  bring  her  to  your  paternal  endearments  and 
your  daily  codfish,"  said  Perdita,  looking  after  the  Parson  as  he 
ascended  to  his  study.  "  Let  me  once  get  her  safe  away,  and 
I'll  manage.  You  may  count  on  me,  mother  ;  Bettine  has  had 
her  last  whipping." 

"  I  don't  scarcely  dare  to  hope  so.  She  has  such  sca^d 
turns  when  her  pa  takes  hold  of  her.  I  feel  afraid  sometimes 
she  won't  get  her  breath  again  ;  she's  just  as  limpsy  as  a  rag. 
She  had  one  yesterday." 

"  Did  he  whip  her  yesterday  ?  " 

"  No,  he  only  shook  her  a  little ;  but  she  dropped  down 
white  as  a  sheet,  and  he  was  almost  frightened  himself,  i  guess, 
for  he  didn't  say  a  word  against  my  holding  her  on  my  lap; 


Feme  forte  ct  Dure.  201 

and  generally,  you  know,  he  won't  let  me  touch  the  children 
when  he.  has  them  in  hand." 

"  I  wish  I  could  carry  her  off  to-day;  but  things  are  not 
ready  up  there,  and  I  must  wait.  Poor  little  Bettine." 

"  1  feel  thankful  to  you,  Perdita,  and  I  don't  believe  he'll 
touch  her  again  right  away." 

"  There,  mother  !  all  the  ironing  is  done.  Now,  is  there  any 
thing  else  I  can  do  for  you  ?  " 

"No,  child.  I  feel  real  bright  and  strong,  I've  got  so  many 
good  things  to  think  of,  and  they  all  come  of  you." 

"  That's  nice  ;  if  you  go  on  feeling  so,  I  can  be  bright  and 
strong  too,  and  I'm  coming  again  to-morrow. 


CHAPTER    XXVIII. 

PEINE     FORTE     ET     DURE. 

[ERDITA  hurried  on  after  her  last  hug  of 
her  darling  sister,  who  came  in  time  for  9 
few  squeezes  ;  and  her  thoughts  were  so 
busy  that  she  felt  all  aglow.  And  who 
shall  say  which  of  her  musings  rose 
most  readily,  as  they  turned  towards  the 
man  whose  name  she  bore. 

"  Only  a  housekeeper  and  governess  ; " 

that  was  what  she  said  half  aloud  as  she  passed  in  through  the  great 
gate  which  opened  into  the  wide  space  fronting  the  horse-barn. 
Before  her  stretched  the  roadway,  which  swept  around  the  rear 
of  the  terrace  and  from  which  she  could  see  the  broad  meadows 
and  mowing-land,  dotted  here  and  there  with  rocks  too  massive 
and  deep-seated  even  for  blasting.  It  was  a  pretty  view,  and 
9* 


202  Peine  Forte  ct  Durc. 

she  paused  an  instant  to  admire  it,  when  her  attention  was  very 
unpleasantly  arrested  by  a  sight  which  aroused  all  the  indigna 
tion,  anger,  and  disgust  which  instantly  kindles  in  an  impulsive 
woman  at  the  display  of  bnital  cruelty. 

Slowgo  had  harnessed  the  little  mare  Lightfoot  to  a  new  hay- 
rake  which  Mr.  Slaughton  had  purchased  a  day  or  two  before, 
and  behind  the  machine  was  gathered  a  heap  of  autumn  loaves 
it  had  collected. 

The  dainty  little  mare  was  what  is  called  stakey  or  balky  ; 
and  she  stood  with  her  pretty  head  turned  on  one  side,  champ 
ing  the  bit  and  showing  the  whites  of  her  eyes.  The  only  con 
sciousness  she  evinced  of  the  blows  she  was  getting  from  the 
pitchfork  the  farmer  beat  her  with,  was  a  slight  quiver  and 
gathering  together  of  her  slender  legs. 

Slowgo  was  in  a  dreadful  state  of  exasperation  ;  his  face  was 
inflamed,  and  he  gnashed  his  teeth  like  a  boar  at  bay,  and 
poured  out  strange  oaths.  He  was  a  forbidding  fellow  at  best, 
and  just  now  he  looked  as  men  do  look  when  the  wild  savage 
brute  gets  uppermost,  as  tigers  look  when  they  scent  blood,  or 
hyenas  when  they  seize  their  prey.  His  big  neck  was  covered 
with .  black  hair,  as  were  his  muscular  arms,  and  his  skin  was 
tanned  to  leather  by  constant  exposure.  He  was  able  to  toss 
about  the  bowlders  on  the  point  of  his  crowbar,  and  boasted 
that  he  had  felled  an  ox  by  one  blow  of  his  fist.  Altogether,  such 
a  man  as  you  would  hesitate  to  intrust  with  tender,  frail  things  ; 
and  his  eyes  seemed  to  be  filling  with  blood,  they  were  so  red 
and  staring  ;  and  his  voice  was  no  more  human  speech,  but 
brutish  growls  and  bellowings. 

Suddenly  Lightfoot  reared  high  in  air  and  threw  herself  on  hei 
side,  a  mute  expression  of  despair.  The  farmer  drew  back  his 
pitchfork  and  plunged  it  into  her  haunches,  and  spouting  blood 
followed  the  stab. 

Perdita  felt  beside  herself,  and  uttering  a  wild  scream,  was 
about  to  rush  at  the  madman,  whether  to  disarm  him  by  sei/ing 
his  weapon,  or  by  entreaties,  she  did  not  pause  to  consider, 


Peine  Forte  et  Durc.  203 

when  a  swift  step  came  along  beside  her,  and  a  voice  begged 
her  to  s.top  where  she  was. 

"  Don't  go  down  there  ;  you'll  get  hurt.     I'll  settle  this." 

Mr.  Slaughton  walked  close  to  his  man,  and  took  the  pitch 
fork  from  his  clutches  ;  he  took  it  forcibly,  and  he  gripped  it  fast. 

"  What  are  you  about,  Slowgo  ?  " 

The  tones  in  which  he  asked  the  question  were  scarcely 
louder  than  the  soft  half-drawl  which  was  habitual ;  and  as  he 
struck  the  prongs  of  the  fork  in  the  ground,  and  leaned  on  the 
handle,  you  would  not  have  detected  any  signs  of  rage,  except 
perhaps  the  slight  drawing  back  of  his  upper  lip,  which  showed 
his  teeth  through  his  fair  mustache,  and  a  gleaming  flash  in 
his  eyes.  Perdita,  who  was  watching  him,  noticed  also  that  his 
hands  clasping  the  staff  were  bloodless. 

"  I'm  breaking  the  mare,  sir." 

"  Do  you  know  I  have  the  greatest  mind  in  this  world  to 
break  your  head,  you  infernal,  cruel  savage  ?  Unhitch  her, 
and  take  her  to  her  stall  directly." 

"  I've  lived  with  many  gentlemen,  and  I  was  never  called 
such  names  as  those,  sir." 

"  Then  you  never  got  your  due,  which  is  quite  likely." 

"  And  I've  the  reputation  of  being  the  best  trainer  in  the 
country." 

"  I  don't  train  my  horses  in  that  way.  When  I  want  my 
mare  butchered,  I'll  send  for  the  offal-man  ;  have  that  cut 
you've  given  her  well  washed  with  arnica.  If  any  harm  comes 
to  her  from  your  brute's  temper,  it  will  be  the  worse  for  you." 

"I  haven't  harmed  her.  She'll  never  be  good  for  nothing, 
nohow." 

"  Not  for  your  driving,  Slowgo.  It  needs  a  man  who  is  able 
to  manage  himself  to  manage  her.  Did  you  ever  hear  of  a 
certain  rule  called  the  law  of  kindness  ?  " 

"  I  like  a  good  whip  myself,  sir.  If  that  mare  was  mine  I'd 
just  lace  her  down  to  it.  I'd  break  her,  or  I'd  break  her  neck 
— a  d — d  cantankerous  devil." 


2O4  Pcinc  Forte  et  Dure. 

"  Don't  swear,  Slowgo.  That  won't  suit  me  ;  and  now  that  I 
am  on  the  topic,  I'll  tell  you  what  is  the  matter.  You  thought 
I  did  not  know,  I  dare  say,  that  the  first  time  you  hitched  her 
up  to  haul  the  boards  for  the  shed,  you  put  on  load  enough  for 
a  pair;  and  you  beat  and  abused  her,  and  you  made  a  bolker 
of  the  best  colt  that  ever  was  foaled." 

"  \Vlio  told  you  that  yarn,  sir  ?  " 

"  Never  mind  who,  Slowgo.  It  is  enough  for  you  to  know 
that  I  have  a  witness  who  will  swear  to  the  fact,  and  you  may 
think  yourself  lucky  if  you  don't  have  to  pay  me  for  the  spoil 
ing  of  an  expensive  horse  whom  I  prize  highly." 

"She  staked,  and  I  thrashed  her.  You  can't  make  any  more 
out  of  it.  Anybody  would  have  done  the  same  thing.  I^ots 
of  folks  would  have  treated  her  worse  nor  I  did.  I'd  sell  the 
blasted  creature,  if  I  was  you.  The  street-cars  would  be  the 
best  place  for  her — they'd  soon  take  the  tricks  out  of  her." 

"  1  haven't  a  doubt  but  you  would  sell  her,  Slowgo.  /  would 
put  my  pistol  to  her  ear  and  shoot  her  dead,  before  I'd  hand 
her  over  to  be  tortured." 

"  Oh,  well,  Mr.  Slaughton,  you  can  afford  to  do  as  you 
please  ;  but  when  a  poor  man  buys  a  mare  he  must  get  his 
money  out  of  her.  I've  seen  fires  built  under  'em,  and  hook* 
put  into  their  jaws,  I  have." 

"  And  you  rather  enjoyed  it ;  there  are  several  points  you 
must  amend,  Slowgo,  if  you  want  to  keep  your  place  on  my 
land.  You  must  lash  the  oxen  less,  and  leave  off  kicking  the 
cows.  It  is  a  bad  sign  when  dumb  animals  are  afraid  of  a 
firmer;  and  I  notice  that  even  the  cat  drops  his  tail  and  sneaks 
off  as  soon  as  he  catches  sight  of  you.  I  will  have  everything 
about  me  kindly  treated,  mind,  now ;  I  never  speak  twice  about 
the  same  fault." 

"  All  right,  sir.  I  didn't  suppose  you  minded  them  sort  of 
trifles.  I  never  lived  with  a  gentleman  before  that  found  any 
such  fault." 

"  I'll  train  the  mare  hereafter,  Slowgo." 


Peine  Forte  et  Dure.  205 

"  Very  well,  sir." 

Mr.  Slaughton  turned  on  his  heel  after  his  man  had  led  off 
Lightfoot,  and  Perdita,  who  had  been  entirely  interested  in  the 
talk,  was  still  lingering  and  attentive  when  her  husband  walk 
ed  up  to  her. 

"  1  hope  he  will  not  ill-treat  her  any  more,"  said  she.  "  I 
felt  as  if  I  could  stick  him  with  needles  when  I  saw  how  wicked 
and  cruel  he  was." 

"  A  feminine  punishment  which  might  be  tolerably  annoying 
if  properly  persisted  in,  I  should  think,"  replied  Mr.  Slaugh- 
ton,  smiling.  "  I  don't  intend  he  shall  have  the  chance  to  train 
the  mare  again.  I  shall  have  Stephen  groom  her,  and  I'll  try 
my  hand  at  driving  her.  Like  most  balky  horses,  she  is  nerv 
ous  and  high-strung,  easily  flurried  and  bewildered.  When  I 
touched  her  pulse  I  could  hardly  count  its  beats.  The  fault 
which  procures  this  sort  of  animal  so  much  hard  usage  generally 
arises  from  confused  ideas.  He  gets  too  much  excited  to  know 
what  is  required  of  him,  and  every  lash  makes  him  worse.  I 
never  come  across  a  poor  victim  getting  pounded  and  kicked 
but  I  long  to  shoot  him  and  end  his  misery.  There  is  not  one 
man  in  a  hundred  who  has  enough  of  good  sense  and  coolness 
to  dominate  a  balker,  and  I  really  think  if  I  could  start  a  soci 
ety  for  the  prevention  of  cruelty,  I'd  have  a  man  on  purpose  to 
kill  balky  horses,  and  a  fund  for  buying  them  up." 

"  Can't  they  be  cured  by  kindness  and  patience  ?  " 

"  Not  so  as  to  become  reliable  servants  ;  they  will  take  freaks. 
The  memories  of  former  wrongs  or  sufferings  seem  to  come 
over  them  at  particular  places  and  times,  and  they  are  deaf  to 
everything.  Horses  are  a  good  deal  like  Indians  ;  they  bide 
their  time.  I  heard  of  one  who  seized  his  groom  by  the  shoul 
der,  after  a  long  course  of  horrible,  savage  abuse,  and  tore  him 
to  shreds." 

"  I  wish  Lightfoot  had  known  enough  to  defend  herself." 

"  It  seems  to  me  there  is  a  spice  of  revenge  in  your  compo 
sition.  I  don't  believe  you  would  tamely  bear  harshness." 


206  Pcrdita  l^cinands  Her  Wages. 

"  I  have  borne  it  all  my  life,  and  I  never  even  remonstrated." 

"  It  was  a  sickening  sight  for  you  to  see — this  brutality  of 
Slowgo's,  ami  I  am  sorry  you  witnessed  it,"  said  Mr.  Slaughton, 
observing  how  her  face  clouded  over. 

"  You  mean  that  I  ought  to  have  gone  away,  instead  of  stop 
ping  to  watch  him  ?  That  it  was  indelicate,  or  improper?" 

"  I  mean  precisely  what  I  say  ;  pray  don't  try  to  interpret  my 
plain  English.  I  assure  you  it  is  so  clear  that  he  who  runs 
may  read." 

"  I  must  run,  without  tarrying  to  try.  The  morning  has 
been  flying  while  I  have  stayed,  and  there  is  to  be  a  tipsy  par- 
eon  for  dinner." 

Leaving  the  gentleman  in  a  maze  of  perplexity  as  to  which 
of  the  neighboring  clergy  it  might  be  whom  she  so  stigmatized, 
she  stepped  off  in  a  great  hurry  to  attend  to  her  preparations. 


CHAPTER  XXIX. 

PERDITA   DEMANDS    HER   WAGES. 


|R.  SLAUGHTON,  I  must  speak  with 
you.  Breakfast  is  not  ready,  and  1  will 
not  hinder  you  long,"  said  Perdita,  over 
taking  the  house-master  in  his  hall,  on 
the  way  to  the  dining-room. 

He  was  beginning  to  enjoy  these  con 
sultations.  He  generally  found  some 
thing  relishing  and  sharp  among  the  utter 
ances  of  the  young  housekeeper,  who  jingled  her  keys  conspic 
uously  as  she  accosted  him.  Certainly  he  could  not  accuse  her 
of  placing  herself  in  his  way,  unless  she  had  a  call  to  do  so, 


Perdita  Demands  Her  Wages.  207 

and  he  had  never  once  surprised  in  her  a  wish  to  make  herself 
attractive  to  him.  On  the  contrary,  her  manner  always  said 
positively  and  distinctly  how  utterly  impossible  she  found  it  that 
there  could  ever  be  any  tender  exchanges  or  love  passages 
between  them. 

She  had  a  couple  of  account-books  in  her  hand,  which  she 
opened  and  extended  to  him  as  soon  as  they  were  inside  the 
door. 

"  My  first  month  of  service  having  expired,  I  wish  you 
to  look  over  the  bills,  and  let  me  know  if  they  are  satisfac 
tory." 

"  My  mother  and  you,  surely "  began  he,  backing  off. 

"  I  understood,  sir,  that  your  mother  selected  the  person  to 
rill  the  vacant  place,  and  that  you  agreed  to  pay  the  bills,  like  a 
man.  I  prefer  to  bring  my  reports  to  the  head  of  the  establish 
ment.  I  do  not  think  highly  of  dealing  with  women  in  money 
matters." 

Mr.  Slaughton  took  the  books  which  were  thrust  out  towards 
him,  with  marked  unwillingness.  As  she  stood  before  him, 
with  her  feet  firmly  planted  and  her  eyes  full  of  will,  there  did 
not  seem  to  be  any  way  to  refuse. 

Her  statements  were  concise,  to  the  point,  and  most  undeni 
able  ;  but  he  could  have  beaten  himself  for  being  dragged  into 
this  dilemma,  which  each  day  presented  fresh  absurdities,  ever- 
renewed  awkwardnesses,  among  which  the  knowledge  he  had 
gained  that  the  quick-witted  girl  was  all  the  while  passing 
judgment  on  his  behavior,  was  extremely  provoking. 

He  ran  his  eyes  down  the  columns  of  figures — very  nice, 
lady-like  figures  they  were  too — the  fives  especially  pretty;  and 
the  eights,  instead  of  resembling  bloated  spiders,  as  they  are 
apt  to  do  with  female  rendering,  were  dapper  and  neat. 

"Well,  sir  !"  said  Perdita,  who  was  impatiently  watching  his 
dallying  scrutiny  of  her  work,  u  no  errors,  I  hope  ?  " 

"  No,  oh,  no  !  far  from  it  indeed ;  all  as  admirable  as 
possible." 


208  Perdita  Demands  Her  Wages. 

"  What  is  the  matter,  then,  that  you  hesitate  so  long  ?  some 
thing  must  be  wrong  ;  do  pray  tell  me  what  it  is  ?  " 

"  Since  you  press  me  and  insist,  I  should  say  you've  rather 
a  large  bill  for  soap,"  he  stammered,  closing  and  returning  the 
little  book  with  eager  politeness ;  and  he  laughed  inside  at  the 
ridiculous  statement  he  had  brought  forth  in  a  set,  decorous 
voice,  feeling  it  imperative  to  say  something  which  should  show 
that  he  had  conned  her  statement,  and  trying  hard  to  look  the 
steady  householder ;  and  he  wondered  what  Chandos  would 
think  of  his  predicament,  and  thanked  his  stars  that  he  was  safe 
at  Roaring  River. 

"  I  weighed  the  article  myself  and  gave  it  out  each  week," 
said  Perdita,  bending  her  brows  over  the  book.  "  I  have 
always  used  old-fashioned  steelyards  before  ;  and  perhaps  I  do 
not  correctly  adjust  the  scales  you  have  here.  I  shall  be  more 
particular." 

"  Oh,  I  merely  threw  out  the  remark,"  returned  he  airily. 
"  I  have  not  the  least  idea  whether  it  ought  to  take  one  pound 
or  a  hundred  for  the  month's  consumption.  Don't  be  governed 
by  me,  I  beg  !  " 

"  But  I  shall  be  governed  by  you  implicitly  ;  of  course,  you 
ought  to  understand  your  own  business  ;  how  else  can  I  know 
if  I  suit  you  ?" 

"  I  will  give  you  a  written  character,  if  you  say  so.  This  is 

to  certify  that  Perdita  Heth ,  ahem  !  that  you  are  capable, 

faithful,  and  honest." 

"  I  do  not  need  such  a  help  at  present,  sir,  though  there 
might  come  a  time,  perhaps,"  she  replied,  with  a  half  smile. 
"  The  next  topic  is  wages.  I  find  on  inquiry  that  housekeep 
ers  receive  from  four  to  ten  dollars  a  week.  As  I  do  not  wish 
to  rate  myself  with  the  cheapest,  nor  yet  to  be  exorbitant,  I 
shall  put  my  services  in  the  happy  mean,  and  say  eight  dollars." 

"  By  Jove  !  you  remind  me  most  unpleasantly  of  a  thing  I 
ought  to  have  seen  to.  I  supposed  my  mother — I  really — 
this  is  confoundedly  ridiculous  ;  quite  a  scene  for  a  painter ; 


Perdita  Demands  Her  Wages.  209 

might  be  called  "  Debit  and  Credit."  I  am  much  to  blame. 
Be  so  kind  as  to  draw  on  me  for  any  sum  you  wish ;  I  am 
ashamed  to  have  forced  you  to  this  step,  the  most  inhospitable 
and  abominable  way  to  treat  a  stranger.  Here  are  a  few  bills ; 
I  implore  you  to  take  them  ;  I  ought  to  be  shot." 

While  he  had  gone  blundering  on,  getting  redder  and  redder, 
he  had  pulled  open  the  private  drawer  of  his  secretary  and 
hauled  hurriedly  out  a  roll  of  money,  which  he  offered  his  wife 
without  looking  at  her. 

Perdita  kept  silence,  watching  him  in  an  offended,  annoyed 
way.  If  she  felt  amusement,  or  found  in  the  interview  any 
thing  ludicrous,  she  did  not  let  it  appear  in  her  face,  which 
seemed  intent  on  the  business  she  had  stated. 

"  Please  explain  what  you  mean,  sir,  by  all  this  !  "  said  she, 
stepping  backward  out  of  his  reach.  "  Is  it  so  unusual  for  a 
housekeeper  to  present  an  account  and  expect  her  wages  ?  I 
must  remind  you  that  this  is  my  first  place.  I  do  not  under 
stand  the  manner  used,  by  such  people.  Perhaps  there  are 
forms ;  I  should  have  written  a  humble  note,  maybe,  and 
handed  it  on  a  salver.  You  must  be  so  kind  as  to  overlook 
and  excuse  my  inexperience.  In  the  meantime,  as  I  have 
broached  the  subject,  I  will  not  withdraw  without  finishing,  and 
I  feel  no  shame  in  getting  what  I  have  honestly  earned.  Foul 
times  eight  is  thirty-two  dollars.  I  have  the  receipt  all  made 
out ;  so  it  is  easily  settled." 

"  This  is  nefarious !  it  is  abominable ! "  exclaimed  Mr. 
Slaughton,  excitedly  throwing  down  the  money.  "  You  in 
sult  me  wantonly !  I  will  not  bear  it  !  " 

Perdita  watched  him  writhe,  without  an  emotion  of  pity. 
"  Who  insulted  me  wantonly  ?  "  she  thought.  "  \Yrho  took  the 
trouble  to  forewarn  me  that  he  could  not  love  me,  and  did  not 
mean  to  try,  leaving  me  only  the  housekeeper's  place  in  his 
house  ?  " 

"  Your  conduct  is  so  extremely  strange,  that  I  begin  to  per 
ceive  you  have  some  reason  for  deferring  this  settlement.  I 


2IO  Per  d it  a  Demands  Her  Wages. 

wonder  if  you  assume  this  pleasant  little  manner  with  all  the 
people  who  come  to  collect  their  dues  of  you.  A  light  bursts 
in  on  me.  You  have  intended  smaller  wages  than  I  have 
named.  I  shall  stand  fast.  It  is  well  said,  those  who  make 
little  of  themselves  are  sure  to  be  made  naught  of  by  others. 
1'crmit  me." 

She  picked  up  the  discarded  bills,  and  proceeded  deliber 
ately  to  count  them  ;  wetting  her  fingers,  and  going  half  a  dozen 
times  over  the  roll,  whispering  the  additions  to  herself,  as  if 
the  task  was  almost  too  much  for  her  powers  of  calculation. 

"  If  I  have  done  it  right,  there  is  eighty  dollars  here,  sir.  I 
trust  you  will  allow  me  to  take  out  what  belongs  to  me — 
thirty-two  dollars  ;  and  I  shall  be  glad  to  go,  because  I  have  a 
plum  pudding  to  make,  and  the  coffee  is  on  the  table." 

As  he  did  not  open  his  lips,  she  carefully  placed  the  remain 
der  of  the  bills  in  the  desk,  as  if  fully  aware  of  their  value. 

"  Oh,  well,  I  know  you  are  counted  an  honorable  man,  and 
it  does  not  become  me  to  be  over-particular  about  the  receipt. 
But  here  it  is,  and  I  leave  it  in  your  care.  I  shall  also  make  a 
minute  of  the  sum  at  the  bottom  of  the  page.  Will  you  please 
come  directly  to  breakfast  while  it  is  hot  ?  It  makes  such  a 
difference  in  the  taste  of  things  if  they  are  eaten  cold,  and  I  feel 
so  anxious  that  you  should  be  well  served.  It  is  only  justice 
to  myself.  I  do  not  disdain  the  proper  desire  to  excel  in  the 
sphere  of  life  to  which  the  leadings  of  Providence  have  called 
me." 

Mr.  Slaughton  followed  her  without  a  word.  She  seated  her 
self  at  the  head  of  his  table,  and  presently  offered  him  a  cup 
of  coffee,  clear  as  amber,  and  of  most  delicate  fragrance.  She 
offered  it  with  a  respectful  pains-taking  bow  ;  as  he  took  it,  he 
touched  her  fingers.  They  were  cool  and  soft,  most  pleasant 
to  the  sense,  and  the  agreeable  contact  moved  him  to  look  at 
her  hand  as  she  withdrew  it ;  the  glance  followed  up  the  plump 
round  arm  to  the  shoulder,  whose  smooth  tip  was  defined  by 
her  prim  gown.  She  had  laid  aside  the  cape  or  vandyke  which 


Perdita  Demands  Her  Wages.  211 

was  the  habitual  finish  of  a  country  girl's  dress  in  those  days — 
in  places  remote  from  fashion's  changes,  while  she  was  busy 
with  her  duties. 

Perdita's  neck  was  a  little  long.  Teddy  was  accustomed  to 
tell  her  it  was  a  good  neck  for  a  hanging,  and  to  recite  the  piti 
ful  speech  of  poor  Anne  Boleyn  ;  "  The  headsman  will  not  have 
much  trouble  to  cut  off  my  head,  because  I  have  such  a  little 
neck."  Yes,  it  was  long,  Mr.  Slaughton  noticed  that.  It  did 
not  seem  too  long  either,  with  all  that  mass  of  raven  hair  float 
ing  over  it,  caressing  her  cheek,  hardly  restrained  by  its  snood 
of  crimson  ribbon  ;  and  she  certainly  carried  in  her  face  an  ex 
pression  of  goodness  ;  whatever  emotion  was  paramount,  good 
ness  was  there  also.  And  when  she  raised  her  great  black 
eyes,  dazzlingly  brilliant,  he  took  a  second  look  into  them  in 
spite  of  his  amazed,  incensed  state  of  mind. 

Dame  Slaughton  had  a  habit  of  beginning  to  talk  at  table, 
looking  at  the  person  she  addressed,  while  she  extended  her 
hand  indiscriminately  over  the  edibles,  some  one  of  which  she 
vaguely  desired.  A  sudden  spirit  of  mischief  inspired  Perdita. 
to  make  haste  and  lift  each  dish,  and  place  it  beneath  the  work 
ing  fingers  ;  and  as  they  failed  to  pounce  and  accept,  she  re 
moved  and  substituted  another,  shaking  her  head  as  she  did  so, 
and  saying,  "  No,  it  is  not  that,"  as  if  it  had  been  a  game ;  the 
old  lady  all  the  while  oblivious  of  the  proceeding. 
,  Mr.  Slaughton,  while  politely  attentive  to  his  mother's  re 
marks — they  being  addressed  to  him — saw  also  what  his  wife 
was  doing,  and  enjoyed  the  fun  in  spite  of  himself,  and  thought 
that  Perdita's  arch  smile  was  certainly  bewitching,  and  the  low, 
bubbling  laugh  with  which  she  disposed  of  the  last  plate  was 
without  dispute  musical. 

Presently  the  dame,  on  housekeeping  cares  intent,  found  a 
good  deal  to  say  about  a  chestful  of  sheets  in  the  attic,  which 
wanted  turning. 

For  the  benefit  of  such  of  my  readers  as  are  too  young  to 
have  been  victims  of  this  abominable  thrift  which  was  practised 


212  Perdita  Demands  Her  Wages. 

in  families  who  made  and  used  their  own  linen,  I  will  explain 
that  "turning"  means  ripping  the  whole  length  and  joining 
again  the  outside  edges,  which  makes  an  overhand  seam  quite 
interminable,  as  contemplated  by  a  child's  eyes.  Ah  !  what 
weary  work  it  was,  to  be  sure.  And  how  we  used  to  measure, 
and  sigh,  as  the  sun  went  down  on  the  flowers  and  birds,  and 
the  gay  world  outside,  and  we  poor  wretches  were  held  to  our 
"stint." 

Perdita  thanked  the  dame  for  her  information,  and  replied,  as 
naturally  as  possible,  that  she  should  certainly  try  to  get  them 
finished  before  the  Vances  arrived,  that  she  might  be  free  for 
her  school  duties. 

••  Mr.  Slaughton,"  said  she,  when  this  topic  had  been  fully 
aired  and  disposed  of,  "  have  I  your  permission  to  put  up 
autumn  leaves  in  your  library  ?  " 

"What!  stick  them  onto  the  wall?"  inquired  the  dame, 
pricking  up  her  ears.  "It'll  tear  the  plastering  all  to  bits, 
won't  it?  " 

"Not  at  all,  ma'am.  I  shall  use  fine  cambric  needles. 
They  will  not  injure  the  hard  finish  in  the  least ;  no  one  can  de 
tect  their  marks." 

"  Oh,  dear  !  waste  good  needles  !  ten  cents  a  paper  !  it  will 
take  a  great  many,  won't  it — and  a  deal  of  time  ?  Rather  fool 
ish,  isn't  it  ?  " 

"  Is  this  also  your  opinion,  sir  ?  "  asked  Perdita,  looking  full 
at  the  gentleman,  and  determined  to  make  him  declare  himself 
on  one  side  or  the  other. 

"  I  admire  the  bright-tinted  leaves  very  much,  and  if  you  desire 
to  weary  yourself  with  their  arrangement,  I  see  no  objection." 
f  While  Samuel  was  speaking  he  was  roiled  inside  at  the  mean 
spirit  his  mother  showed;  and  trying  to  feel  it  the  girl's  fault, 
since  it  had  never  rasped  him  so  before  her  coming,  his  voice 
and  face  were  as  ungracious  as  his  words. 

"  Not  even  the  cost  of  the  needles,  nor  the  waste  of  the  time 
which  might  be  spent  in  turning  old  sheets  ?  " 


Perdita  Demands  Her  Wages.  213 

She  felt  that  her  answer  was  provoking,  but  no  more  so  than 
his  was  uncomplaisant ;  and  she  was  never  quite  able  to  forget 
for  long  how  much  she  had  to  resent,  and  she  justified  all  her 
flippancies,  feeling  that  he  deserved  them,  and  millions  more. 

"  Well,  well,  my  dear,  we  will  talk  the  matter  over  by-and- 
by,"  said  the  dame,  wishing  to  postpone  and  temporize ; 
"  plenty  of  time  to  decide  about  it." 

It  seemed  as  if  she  began  to  be  afraid  of  the  daughter  she 
had  been  so  anxious  to  get.  She  had  not  a  breath  of  unkind- 
ness  to  complain  of ;  no  idleness  or  unthrift ;  in  fact,  nothing 
except  the  very  wishes  she  had  put  forward  in  her  talks  with  her 
son.  She  had  obtained  a  person  to  lift  care  and  responsibility 
off  her  shoulders,  but  she  had  not  expected  so  much  to  miss  the 
accustomed  burden ;  and  she  did  not  calculate  on  the  new  in 
cumbent's  taking  so  easily  the  head  place,  and  keeping  it  so 
steadily,  always  advancing,  never  retreating  nor  losing  ground. 

Everything  went  smoothly  enough  as  long  as  she  kept  her 
fingers  out  of  the  domestic  pie — and  that  was  so  difficult  to  do. 
Even  then  there  were  no  hard  words,  scarcely  any  black 
looks ;  but  a  steady  bearing  on,  a  quiet  carrying  of  the  point. 

She  was  forced  to  admit  that  the  housekeeping  was  admi 
rable,  the  order  perfection.  But  the  old  lady  was  self-dethroned  , 
QO  longer  mistress  of  the  mansion  to  which  she  came  a  bride 
and  had  ruled  to  her  liking  ever  since  ;  and  to  make  matters 
worse,  the  new  servants  told  her  quite  curtly  that  "Miss 
Perdita  was  boss,  and  they  weren't  going  to  have  two  bosses; 
what  she  ordered  they  was  going  to  do,  and  nothing  else." 


214          The  Autumn  Leaves  and  the  Fire- Dogs. 


CHAPTER  XXX. 

THE  AUTUMN   LEAVES  AND  THE   FIRE-DOGS. 

SHOULD  like  to  be  carried  over  to 
Mrs.  Brandigee's,  this  morning,  Samuel. 
I  haven't  seen  them  for  a  month,"  re 
marked  the  dame,  a  couple  of  days  after 
the  settlement  of  the  wages  question. 

"  Certainly,  mother.  I'll  drive  Light 
foot  over.  I  want  to  look  at  an  Ayre- 
shire  bull  Brandigee  has  imported.  J 

think  of  buying  him.     Slow-go  has  let  the  stock  depreciate  fear 
fully  on  this  farm.     I  must  give  immediate  attention  to  it." 

"Well,  Sammy,  we'll  go  by  ten  o'clock,  and  come  back  be 
fore  sunset.  I  don't  like  being  out  too  late  these  cool 
evenings." 

Mr.  Slaughton  glanced  across  at  his  vis-a-vis,  wondering  if 
his  mother  meant  to  include  her  in  the  arrangement.  She  was 
also  looking  at  him  ;  she  was  thinking  what  a  deal  of  interest 
he  showed  in  funning,  for  a  man  who  was  so  soon  to  depart  foi 
Timbuctoo  ;  and  here  a  question  presented  itself  with  consider 
able  pertinacity:  "Do  J  wish  him  to  go,  or  stay?"  She 
pushed  away  her  coftee-cup  with  hasty  gesture,  and  tried  also 
to  put  the  theme  and  its  object  from  her  consideration,  as  being 
entirely  outside  her  legitimate  province. 

The  house-master  was  soon  enlightened  as   to   his   mother's 
.intentions. 

"  I  suppose  you  will  be  likely  to  commence  on  the  sheets  to 
day,  Perdita,  as  there  will  be  no  fuss  about  dinner.  A  capi 
tal  time  for  you  to  eat  bread  and  milk  ;  I  reckon  milk  is  healthy 
once  in  a  while,  especially  for  young  folks." 

Each  day,  these  constantly  recurring  remarks  were  getting 


The  Autumn  Leaves  and  the  Fire-Dogs.          215 

more  and  more  distasteful  to  Mr.  Slaughton,  and  he  flushed  up 
under  this  one,  as  if  he  had  been  insulted.  Not  so  Perdita, 
she  was  as  cool  and  indifferent  as  he  was  hot  and  disturbed. 

"  Milk  makes  bone  ;  bread  makes  muscle.  I  am  likely  to 
need  both,  and  fortunately  I  am  well  used  to  the  diet.  I  shall 
not  work  at  the  linen  to-day.  I  have  something  in  hand  which 
I  intend  to  accomplish. 

"  I  suppose  you  don't  want  to  tell  what  it  is  j  you  seem  to 
hate  to  answer  questions  as  bad  as  a  lawyer." 

"  I  don't  wish  to  speak  prematurely.  As  you  will  have  a 
long  ride,  I  dare  say  a  hot  supper  may  be  acceptable  on 
your  return.  So,  if  you  will  please  state  the  hour,  I  shall  have 
one  ready." 

Evidently  there  was  not  a  thought  of  neglect  in  her  mind. 
She  did  not  count  herself  in  their  arrangements,  and  she  looked 
glad  to  have  the  house  free  of  their  presence.  Mr.  Slaughton 
had  no  right  to  feel  offended  at  this ;  but  he  did,  and  he  said 
with  some  acrimony,  after  his  mother  had  left  the  table  ; 

"  I  see  you  are  delighted  to  be  rid  of  me." 

"  Rid  of  you  ?  what  an  unpleasant  way  to  put  it !  I  am 
rather  satisfied  to  know  that  the  litter  I  mean  to  make  will  dis 
turb  no  one,  so  that  results,  not  means,  will  be  apparent." 

"  A  state  secret  from  me  also,  I  suppose  " 

"  Really,  Mr.  Slaughton,  you  make  my  projected  occupation 
so  absurd  that  I  shall  hardly  feel  like  carrying  out  the  plan.  1 
intend  to  go  this  morning  to  finish  my  collection  of  leaves ;  it 
is  so  late  that  I  shall  have  to  wax  them,  but  they  will  answer 
very  well  ;  fortunately  there  are  still  plenty  of  white  ferns 
down  in  the  hickory  wood,  and  Dolly  and  Malcolm  have  been 
for  weeks  pressing  dogwood  and  sumach  ;  I  rather  forestalled 
your  permission,  you  see,  in  setting  them  at  it." 

"  Of  course  you  will  take  Slowgo,  and  one  of  the  horses. 
You  can't  think  of  walking  all  that  distance." 

It  was  the  first  time  he  had  shown  the  slightest  interest  in 
her  movements,  or  made  a  suggestion  to  her. 


216          The  Autumn  Leaves  and  the  Fire- Dogs. 

"  Thank  you,  sir,"  she  replied  proudly  ;  "  I  am  accustomed  to 
use  my  feet,  and  I  don't  intend  to  get  out  of  practice.  More 
over,  I  don't  feel  in  any  humor  for  a  tete-4-tete  drive  with  your 
farmer." 

The  gentleman  felt  dreadfully  snubbed,  and  wished  he  had 
held  his  tongue.  As  he  left  her,  she  watched  him  with  gloam 
ing  light  in  her  black  eyes. 

"  Slowgo  indeed  !  no,  sir  !  I  am  not  fallen  so  far  yet  as  to 
accept  the  escort  of  the  man,  where  the  master  does  not  think 
it  worth  his  while  to  offer  his  company.  Not  one  of  your 
horses  shall  ever  carry  me  an  inch  till  I  am  properly  invited,  as 
becomes  the  house-mistress." 

You  see,  Perdita  had  her  little  inconsistencies  as  well  as  other 
women,  although  she  kept  them  tolerably  to  herself. 

She  worked  .all  day,  and  much  to  her  satisfaction.  The  sort 
of  labor  was  so  new  to  her  ;  the  fact  of  being  able  to  take  time 
for  decorating  and  beautifying  without  fear  of  reproofs  and 
hard  words,  was  so  pleasant,  that  she  forgot  everything  in  the 
glow  and  ardor  of  her  progress,  and  as  night  drew  on  the 
library  was  transformed  into  a  woodland  bower,  where  all  the 
trees  were  represented  by  their  best  and  ripest  foliage.  Over  each 
picture  was  massed  a  group  of  resplendent  maples,  redder  than 
blood,  yellower  than  gold  ;  they  filled  all  the  space  between 
the  suspending  cords  with  wondrous  color. 

The  whole  chimney  above  the  low  mantel  was  covered  with 
maiden's  hair  and  vines  of  the  trailing  woodbine,  which 
drapes  old  walls  with  their  autumn  splendor;  so  that  the 
picture  of  Master  Samuel  in  petticoats,  which  hung  in  the 
midst,  with  ringlets  as  stiff  as  pine  shavings,  framing  his  smile, 
a  dreadfully  wooden  kitten  tucked  under  an  arm  as  plump  and 
flesh-like  as  a  pump-handle,  and  a  whip  in  his  hand  which 
twisted  and  twirled  like  a  garter-snake,  seemed  the  centre  of  a 
fairy  grotto. 

All  along  the  cornice  drooped  branches  of  the  bitter-sweet 
she  had  gathered  by  the  old  mill  the  day  she  had  saved  the  dog 


The  Autumn  Leaves  and  the  Fire-Dogs.        217 

Sam,  who  deliberately  chewed  up  one  of  the  best  specimens, 
before  she'  got  ready  to  place  it,  and  was  well  chased  and 
slapped  for  his  industry,  and  stood  with  his  ears  lopped  and 
head  cocked  on  one  side,  wagging  his  tail  a  couple  of  minutes 
afterwards,  meditating  a  dash  at  the  clusters  she  was  cunningly 
twining  around  an  invisible  wire,  which,  when  suspended, 
seemed  springing  from  their  high  place  of  their  own  wild 
will. 

The  old-fashioned  mirror  had  a  mass  of  yellow  fern  above 
it,  and  all  the  vases  were  filled  with  gorgeousness,  scarlet, 
crimson,  and  gold,  everywhere  :  the  perfected  summer  work  of 
wood  and  dell. 

"  The  old  woman  has  got  a  pair  of  dogs  up-garret,  mum," 
said  Hannah,  wlio  was  on  her  knees  before  the  hearth,  scrub 
bing  and  cleaning. 

"  A  pair  of  dogs  !  "  exclaimed  Perdita,  from  her  lofty  perch 
on  the  top  of  the  step-ladder.  "  Who  put  them  there  ?  how 
long  have  they  been  there  ?  " 

"  I  don't  know  who  put  'em  there,  mum  ;  they*s  been  up 
yonder  since  afore  I  came  here.  They're  tied  up  in  the  corner, 
with  flanning  on  their  heads  and  legs." 

"  Dogs  tied  up-garret !  how  revolting  !  positively,  it  sounds 
like  Uncle  Tom's  Cabin." 

"And  sure 'tis  the  safest  place  for 'em,  mum;  they're  out 
of  the  way,  and  the  flanning  smothers  'em  entirely." 

As  Perdita  paused  in  her  work  to  listen  to  this  stivnge  tale, 
Hannah  looked  up  at  her,  and  scratched  her  nose  with  her 
sooty  finger.  "  Fire-dogs,"  said  she,  "  for  the  chimbley." 

"  Fire-dogs  !  "  echoed  Perdita  apprehensively,  "  what  do 
you  mean  ?  " 

"  Those  are  things  what  you  pile  the  wood  onto,  mum,  to 
make  a  fire.  Lord  bless  you,  mum  !  I  can't  make  it  no 
plainer,"  said  Hannah  impatiently  ;  "  I'll  run  and  fetch  'em 
down,  if  you  say  so.  I  could  brighten  'em  up  with  rotten-stone 
and  ile  in  half  a  jiffy,  and  they'd  make  a  bonny  finish  to  your 
IO 


218          The  Autumn  Leaves  and  the  Fire-Dogs. 

work  of  an  evening,  lighting  up  all  your  pretty  leaves  and 
things." 

"  Oh  !  you  mean  andirons,"  said  Perdita,  with  cleared  coun 
tenance.  "  An  excellent  idea  !  Pray  fetch  them  at  once  ;  run 
quickly.  I  dote  on  a  wood  fire,  where  I  can  see  the  blaze 
ruddy  and  red,  and  the  castles  and  towns,  and  the  caves  and 
grottoes  in  the  coals,  all  shining  like  gold ;  it  is  amazingly 
pleasant." 

It  took  a  good  deal  of  what  Hannah  called  "  elbow-grease  " 
to  restore  the  dogs  to  their  pristine  lustre,  much  dimmed  and 
tarnished  by  their  long  imprisonment ;  but  they  rewarded  her 
outlay  at  last,  and  she  contemplated  them  with  reasonable 
pride  when  she  placed  them  on  the  clean  hearth,  massive  solid 
brass,  that  you  could  see  your  face  in,  and  the  smooth  maple 
sticks  she  piled  on  them  soon  sent  forth  a  cheerful  glow,  which 
nestled  and  hid  among  the  wall-beauties,  like  household 
fairies. 

The  young  worker  was  putting  the  last  touches  to  the  lace 
curtains,  upon  which  she  fastened  butterflies  and  ferns,  when, 
the  Slaughtons  returned.*  There  was  a  strong  smell  of  wax 
and  varnish,  mingled  with  paste  and  vinegar,  which  the  dame 
sniffed  apprehensively,  as  she  peered  into  the  room  around  her 
son's  arm,  who  stood  in  the  doorway. 

"  Superb  !  glorious  !  "  exclaimed  he,  "  who  would  have 
believed  that  only  autumn  leaves  which  fall  around  us, 
ripened,  finished,  got  through  with,  and  dropped  to  decay  and 
forgetfulness,  could  so  adorn  and  beautify  this  dreary  place  ? 
Positively,  I  have  always  been  in  the  habit  of  considering  it 
sombre  and  uninviting.  And  a  fire  on  the  hearth  ;  that  looks 
like  old  times,  mother.  I  was  not  so  big  as  I  am  now  the  last 
time  that  fire  was  lighted." 

Mr.  Slaughton's  face  expressed  so  much  surprise  and  plea 
sure,  that  Perdita  quite  flushed  and  glowed  to  find  her  work  so 
well  appreciated.  Not  so  the  old  dame. 

"  A  fire  in  the  fire-place  is  a  dreadful  dirty  thing,  Sammy. 


The  Autumn  Leaves  and  the  Fire- Dogs.         219 

The  ashes  and  cinders  all  flying  about  so,  and  the  smoke  set 
tling  into  'the  curtains  and  pictures." 

Mr.  Slaughton  glanced  uneasily  at  the  girl,  whose  counte 
nance  was  not  in  the  least  disturbed  by  the  remarks  she  had 
expected  and  made  up  her  mind  to  beforehand,  and  would 
have  been  rather  disappointed  not  to  get.  She  surveyed 
serenely  her  results,  and  experienced  the  satisfaction  a  woman 
always  feels  who  finds  an  admirer  of  adornments  planned  by 
her  taste  and  executed  by  her  fingers. 

"  I  think  it  is  rather  magnificent,"  said  she.  "  If  I  could 
only  have  managed  some  lambrequins,  I  should  have  been 
quite  content,  with  a  small  fernery  for  the  east  window." 

"What  were  .  those  'first  things  you  spoke  of?"  asked  he 
eagerly.  "  I  should  like  to  procure  them  if  procurable." 

"  Only  boards  to  be  hung  on  the  top  of  the  windows,  cut 
into  nice  shapes,  so  that  I  could  cover  them  with  massed 
leaves.  I  feel  sure  the  effect  would  be  fine." 

"  That  is  easily  done;  I  am  a  good  sawist  myself.  If  you 
will  give  me  the  patterns,  1  will  try  what  I  can  produce." 

"  I  don't  wish  to  trouble  you.  Teddy  has  the  patterns,  and 
only  waits  your  permission  to  complete  them." 

"  Pray  let  Teddy  do  them,  then,"  said  he  curtly,  turning  on 
his  heel. 

"  Yes,  sir,  thank  you,  I  will ;  and  I  will  hand  you  the  bills." 
The  status  was  of  the  gentleman's  arranging,  but  he  did  not 
like  it.  He  had  helped  her  plant  her  tulips,  and  felt  rather 
moved  to  exert  himself  a  little  further,  under  her  guidance. 

It  seemed  as  if  she  was  a  bit  sorry  for  her  short  putting  aside 
of  his  offer,  for  she  said  as  he  was  going : 

"  I  hope  you  have  brought  home  an  appetite.  There  is  a 
nice-smelling  stew  on  the  stove.  I  put  in  curry  and  wine,  and 
everything  Soyer  orders.  I  expect  it  will  be  good.  Then 
there  are  fried  sweetbreads,  and  baked  potatoes,  cold  potted 
pigeons,  a  broiled  partridge,  and  a  couple  of  birds  he  called 
woodcock,  that  I  bought  of  a  fellow  I  found  shooting  them 


22O  "A  Child  in  a  House  is  a  Well-Spring  of  Joy  " 

in  your  wood ;  and  we  have  also  puffovers,  and  honey,  and  a 
Washington  cake." 

"  Too  much  !  too  much  !  entirely  too  much,  Perdita  ;  wicked 
wasteful  extravagance  ! "  exclaimed  the  dame  hurriedly. 

"  No,  no,  mother  ;  I  like  variety,  and  I  can  do  ample  justice 
to  all  the  good  things  in  this  most  admirable  bill  of  fare. 
Shooting  woodcock,  was  he  ?  " 

"  Yes,  among  the  alders ;  he  says  he  sells  them." 

"  I  think  I'll  get  out  with  my  gun,  and  try  my  luck." 

"  I  should  think  it  might  be  safer  than  killing  tigers  '  in 
Timbuctoo  ! ' " 

Perdita  wished  she  had  not  made  the  silly  speech  as  soon  as 
it  was  uttered ;  and  she  hurried  to  arrange  the  supper  on  the 
table,  and  hoped  that  in  the  bustle  of  getting  seated  and  served 
it  might  have  been  lost.  It  was  not,  however,  for  as  they  left 
the  dining-room  Mr.  Slaughton  turned  and  said  to  her : 

"  Safety  in  any  particular  position  depends  on  many  contin 
gencies." 


CHAPTER  XXXI. 


A  CHILD  IN  A  HOUSE  IS  A  WELL-SPRING  OF  JOY." 

|HE  family  carryall  stopped  at  the  door, 
and  out  bundled  the  three  children. 

Cicely  Vance,  the  eldest,  a  slim  shoul 
dered,  thin-limbed  girl,  with  a  good  deal 
of  flaxen  hair  hanging  down  her  back, 
steel-blue  eyes  set  deep  under  beetling 
brows,  a  heavy  animal  under-jaw,  and 
teeth  which  were  much  discolored  for 

lack  of  care,  and  edgewise  in  her  mouth,  a  low  forehead,  thick, 
flat  nose,   with  round,  clumsily  finished  nostrils.     Yet  despite 


"A  Child  in  a  House  is  a  We il- Spring  of  Joy ."  221 

all  these  defects  she  was  so  admirably  colored  that  the  first 
glance  filled  the  beholder  with  marvellous  admiration.  Rarely 
were  seen  such  brilliant  cheeks  and  lips  ;  the  best  damask  rose 
at  its  richest  was  no  match  for  them  ;  the  softest,  creamiest  wax 
was  not  so  soft  and  creamy  white  as  her  skin. 

Her  straw  hat,  trimmed  with  black  velvet  ribbons,  was 
crushed  out  of  all  shape  ;  her  dress  was  minus  a  couple  of  but 
tons,  her  frills  and  cuffs  soiled  and  rumpled,  her  stockings  had 
holes  in  them,  her  shoes  were  rusty  and  trodden  over  at  the 
heel,  and  her  gloves  and  handkerchief  missing ;  but  her  rose- 
colored  sash  was  tied  in  a  smart  bow  at  the  back,  and  she  had 
knots  and  ends  at  her  throat,  dingy  and  frayed.  It  was  quite 
evident  through  all  her  careless  untidiness  that  she  was  devoted 
to  finery  and  ambitious  of  making  a  show. 

This  child  was  thirteen  years  old.  She  was  a  stranger  to  the 
younger  ones,  having  been  placed  by  her  roving,  dissolute 
father  in  a  convent,  and  kept  there,  out  of  his  way,  as  long  as 
he  lived,  so  that  she  had  grown  up  thus  far  an  alien  every  way, 
her  head  filled  with  notions  which  could  scarcely  be  dignified 
as  ideas,  which  were  likely  to  be  troublesome  in  her  new 
home,  and  her  habits  were  not  such  as  upright  women  like  to 
encounter. 

Bertram,  the  next,  was  a  hearty,  roystering  boy,  full  of  noise 
and  dash  and  frolic,  who  always  wanted  what  he  wanted 
"  dreadfully,"  and  felt  as  if  he  couldn't  live  another  minute 
unless  he  got  it,  and  was  careful  to  let  his  needs  be  known, 
though  speaking  did  not  seem  to  relieve  him ;  headstrong,  self- 
willed,  knowing  no  law  but  his  own  desires.  The  world  during 
his  ten  years  of  life  had  been  an  arena  for  his  exploits  and 
experiments.  The  strength  of  most  articles  with  which  he 
came  in  contact  was  tested ;  and  a  general  topsy-turvyness  was 
apt  to  result  from  his  stay  in  any  habitation. 

Little  Pandora  got  out  last,  as  waggish  an  imp  of  mischief 
as  ever  teazed  a  housekeeper.  Handsome,  dimpled,  fat,  and 
cunning ;  caring  for  no  person  alive  except  her  brother,  whom 


222   "A  Child  in  a  House  is  a  Well- Spring  of  Joy." 

she  admired  and  followed,  and  imitated  as  far  as  her  shorter 
legs  and  smaller  powers  allowed  her.  She  was  turned  of  seven. 

You  may  be  sure  that  the  governess-to-be  looked  curiously 
at  her  future  charges,  as  they  came  racing  and  screaming  up 
the  steps.  She  had  heard  frightful  accounts  of  their  insubordi 
nation  and  waywardness. 

"  Well,  children !  here  you  are  ! "  exclaimed  the  dame, 
"  and  a  frowsy,  mussy  set,  to  be  sure  ;  all  dirt  and  dust.  But 
that  can't  be  helped,  I  suppose.  Come  and  kiss  your  Aunt 
Perdita,  who  is  going  to  take  care  of  you,  and  tell  her  you 
mean  to  be  good  children." 

"  No,  I  shan't  do  it ;  I  don't  want  to  ;  I  ain't  a  going  to ;  I 
won't,"  screamed  Bertram,  reeling  off  the  words  so  glibly  as 
to  prove  them  frequently  on  his  lips.  "  Jim  Duncan  says  it  is 
the  badest  boys  that's  the  best  fellows  ;  the  good  ones  is  pokey. 
I  hate  pokey  squirts  ;  1  like  jolly  bad  chaps." 

"  So  der  I,"  chimed  in  Pandora  ;  "  I'm  going  to  do  every 
thing  Bert  does,  I'm  going  to  be  worser  nor  he  is." 

"/shall  be  good,  Aunt  Perdita,"  said  Cicely,  sidling  up  to 
the  lady.  "  They're  so  noisy  and  vulgar  I  can't  bear  them. 
Jt  isn't  ladylike  to  make  a  noise,  is  it.  I  love  you,  Auntie  ; 
may  I  have  a  piece  of  cake  ?  " 

Perdita  instinctively  withdrew  from  the  embrace  of  this  girl, 
whose  voice  broke  in  an  unpleasant  way,  and  whose  laugh  was 
like  the  crackling  of  thorns  under  a  pot  for  music  ;  whose  tiny, 
beautiful  hands  were  clammy  and  cold  ;  though  as  she  did  so  she 
observed  her  resplendence  of  color,  and  the  deep  dimples  in 
each  pink  cheek.  She  felt  ashamed  of  her  repugnance,  and 
reached  down  in  an  instant  and  received  the  proffered  caress, 
and  said  "Thank  you"  for  the  protest  of  affection;  but  she 
seized  with  a  good  hug  the  small  Pandora.  This  time  her 
attentions  were  not  made  much  of,  for  the  child  struggled  to  be 
set  free,  after  a  quick  pressure  of  the  little  arms  around  the 
new  aunt's  neck,  and  a  rub  of  her  cheek  against  the  one  as  ripe 
and.  found  as  her  own. 


"A  Child  in  a  House  is  a  Well-Spring  of  Joy"  223 

"  Put  me  down,  quick  !  I  want  to  see  the  girl  behind  you  ; 
who  is  she  ?  " 

Betty,  wlio  was  clinging  affrighted  to  her  sister's  skirts,  had 
that  morning  arrived  in  her  new  home.  She  looked  as  if  she 
might  have  come  from  fairy-land,  she  was  so  tiny  and  beautiful, 
and  delicate.  She  had  on  the  first  fruits  of  Perdita's  wages,  a 
soft  white  merino,  embroidered  with  floss  silk,  daintiest  of  dainty 
slippers,  and  she  peeped  out  through  curls  of  pale  gold,  as  an 
elf-child  might  have  looked  at  a  mortal — a  glance  of  wonder, 
curiosity,  and  dread. 

"  This  is  my  Betty.  She  has  come  to  live  and  play  with  you, 
and  I  hope  you  will  be  dear  friends.  Kiss  her,  Betty  darling  ; 
see,  she  holds  out  her  arms  to  take  you  in." 

While  the  mite  endured  dutifully  the  hearty  squeeze  Pandora 
was  ready  and  willing  to  give  her,  the  dame  exclaimed,  in  a 
mighty  flurry  : 

"  What !  what !  what  is  this  you  say  ?  That  child  live  here  ? 
A  monstrous  idea !  Of  course  you  can't  be  in  earnest :  as  if 
three  children  are  not  enough  ;  to  talk  of  taking  in  another. 
Nonsense  !  stuff  and  nonsense  !" 

"  I  do  not  talk  of  it,  ma'am  ;  I  have  done  it.  Mr.  Slaughton 
consented  to  my  request  before  I  had  been  in  his  house  an 
hour,  and  has  since  confirmed  his  excellent  benevolence  in  the 
most  decided  manner,"  replied  Perdita,  maliciously  stabbing 
the  dame  in  a  tender  place.  "It  is  all  settled;  her  box  is 
here,  her  clothes  are  hanging  in  my  closet,  and  this  is  her  home 
as  long  as  it  is  mine." 

"  And  I  not  consulted  !  This  is  a  pretty  kettle  of  fish  ;  why 
didn't  you  ask  my  consent  ?" 

"  I  carried  my  business  to  the  house-master,  to  whom  I  con 
ceived  it  to  belong  ;  I  do  not  recognize  any  other  authority. 
You  must  have  seen  enough  of  the  Hethwaite  family  to  know 
how  we  were  trained  in  that  particular ;  I  act  up  to  my  lights." 

"  I  won't  have  a  little,  troublesome,  white-faced  brat  here. 

I  didn't  bargain  for  the  whole  family.     I'll  speak  to  my  soft' 

"*  | 


224  "A  Child  in  a  House  is  a  Well- Spring  of  Joy." 

"  Do  so  by  all  means,  ma'am.  I  assure  you  there  is  no 
doubt  whatever  on  the  subject.  Betty  will  stay  with  me." 

"  Go  it,  Aunt  Perdita  !  I'll  bet  on  you  !  Give  her  goss, 
granny ;  it's  fun  to  see  women  fight.  Jim  Duncan  says  he 
likes  it." 

"  Don't  cry,  Betty ;  nobody  shall  hurt  you,"  said  Perdita, 
lifting  the  mite  to  her  old  place  in  her  sheltering  arms. 

"Will  she  whip  me?"  whispered  the  child,  as  she  clung 
trembling  to  her  sister's  neck.  "  Can  you  make  her  let  me  be." 

"  Yes,  yes,  darling.  You  shall  have  good  times.  Everybody 
will  be  kind  to  my  Betty."  Singularly  enough,  "  everybody  " 
was  at  that  instant  represented  in  the  young  wife's  mind  by  a 
tall,  fair  man,  who  hated  trouble,  but  who  had  thrice  during  her 
short  acquaintance  with  him  interfered  in  behalf  of  helpless 
and  dependent  creatures  who  were  in  danger  of  suffering  from 
the  strong  or  cruel ;  and  she  remembered  with  a  little  thrill  of 
pleasure  how  he  had  said,  "  I  will  have  all  things  about  me 
kindly  treated." 

"  Come,  children,"  said  she  briskly,  "  let  us  go  up  and  see 
the  school-room  and  the  nursery." 

"  Who  is  going  to  be  nursed  ?"  shouted  Bertram.  "I  ain't 
going  to  !  She  is,"  pointing  to  Betty  ;  "  she  is  the  baby  to 
rock  in  the  cradle. 

"  'She  is  little  Polly  Flinders, 
A  sitting  in  the  cinders, 

A  warming  her  cunning  little  toes ; 
And  her  mother  came  and  caught  her, 
And  whipped  her  little  daughter 

For  spoiling  her  nice  new  clothes. '  " 

As  he  chanted  the  rhyme,  jumping  up  and  down  before 
Betty,  shaking  the  skirt  of  the  white  dress,  she  curled  in  her 
feet  and  shrank  as  far  away  from  him  as  she  could,  burying  her 
face  in  her  sister's  neck. 

"  That's  a  'frai'd  little  mouse,  that  is  !  "  observed  Pandora. 


"A  Child  in  a  House  is  a  Well- Spring  of  Joy."  225 

"  She  is  not  a  stout  girl  like  you,  but  she  will  soon  get  used 
to  your  fun,"  answered  Perdita,  leading  the  way  into  the  north 
wing.  "'See  !  here  is  Cicely's  chamber,  with  the  pretty  white 
curtains  ;  this  is  Bertram's  ;  and  here  Pandora  will  sleep — all 
close  together.  You  can  play  that  Cicely  is  the  mother,  and 
you  are  her  children." 

"  I  shan't !  She's  been  a-trying  to  make  us  mind  all  the  way 
out  here.  Mothers  are  no  good  to  boys,  anyhow." 

"  Indeed !  You  sprang  armed  from  Jove's  forehead,  like 
Minerva,  I  suppose." 

"  Who  did  ?     Who  sprang  ?     How  did  he  spring  ?  " 

"  That  is  one  of  my  nice  long  stories,  which  I  keep  to  tell 
evenings,  when  my  scholars  have  learned  very  good  lessons.  I 
don't  give  away  my  stories,  they  have  to  be  earned." 

"But  I  shall  do  no  lessons,"  said  Pandora,  with  a  positive 
little  head-shake.  "  I  shall  run  and  race  in  the  fields.  I  hate 
lessons ;  so  does  Bert." 

"  I  mean  to  go  fishing.  I'll  catch  some  gray  squirrels  to 
tame,  and  I'll  make  them  turn  a  wheel.  I'll  give  one  to  Betty 
and  one  to  Pandora." 

"  And  one  to  me,  brother  Bertram,"  said  Cicely. 

"  Call  me  Bert,  as  Pan  does.  I'm  not  an  old  priest  with  a 
gown  on.  I'm  a  boy.  I'm  going  to  play  horse,  and  I'll  let 
Bet  and  Pan  be  my  team,  and  I'll  drive  'em  and  lick  'em  like 
fury." 

"/shall  study,  Aunty;  it's  unladylike  to  play  and  be  bois 
terous,  isn't  it?"  said  Cicily.  "  May  I  dress  for  dinner?  I 
have  a  pink  poplin  in  my  trunk,  and  a  turquoise  blue  sash. 
Can  I  put  them  on  ?  and  will  you  tie  a  butterfly  bow  and 
curl  my  hair  ?  " 

"  She's  all  the  while  talking  about  her  close"  said  Bertram. 
"  She's  told  me  of  that  dress  fifty  times  to-day.  She's  no 
good." 

"  You  wear  quite  a  smart  jacket  yourself,"  remarked  Perdita, 
smiling,  "  and  the  brass  buttons  are  as  bright  as  gold.  You 
10* 


226  "A  Child  in  a  House  is  a  Well-Spring  of  Joy" 

have  been  down  in  the  mud  with  it,  though,  as  appears  from  this 
great  spot  on  the  back." 

"That  wasn't  my  fault,  Aunt  Perdita  ;  it  was  the  old  umbrella. 
The  wind  blew  hard,  and  just  took  me  into  a  puddle  before  I 
knew  it.  I  didn't  want  to  spoil  my  coat  a  bit ;  it  was  made  of 
the  end  of  the  tail  of  papa's  great-coat,  and  she  laughed." 

"I  didn't  laugh,  did  I?  I'm  some  good,  ain't  I?"  said 
Pandora,  creeping  up  to  him  ;  "you  like  me,  don't  you  ?" 

"  You're  well  enough,  but  you  cry  when  you  get  knocked 
over.  I  thought  they'd  have  boys  here  ;  haven't  you  got  any 
boys,  Aunt  Perdita  ?  " 

"  I've  got  a  small  brother,  named  Billy." 

Before  she  proceeded  a  step  farther,  Bertram  pinned  his  new 
relative  till  she  told  him  how  high,  how  strong,  and  how  much 
of  a  racer  was  the  prospective  friend. 

'•  We  shall  not  go  into  school  till  next  Monday,"  said  she  at 
last  ;  "  so  you  will  have  ample  time  to  do  up  your  extra  romp 
ing,  and  get  settled  to  things  ;  but  when  we  once  begin,  it  will 
be  dead  earnest." 

"You  don't  expect  me  to  mind  you,  do  you?"  inquired 
Bertram,  after  a  close  study  of  her  face. 

"  I  shall  mind  you,  my  boy ;  all  the  minding  you  can  take," 
replied  Perdita,  smiling. 

"  How  jolly  !  Jim  Duncan  says  the  women  ought  to  mind 
the  men." 

"  I  agree  with  Jim  ;  but  first,  let's  define  mind.  I  understand 
by  it,  to  watch,  to  attend,  to  take  care  of ;  that  is  my  part  of 
the  minding." 

"  Oh,  oh  1  I  don't  believe  Jim  meant  that." 

"  If  Jim  means  to  obey,  that  minding  will  be  on  your  side, 
because  you  must  obey  me.  I  am  old  enough  and  wise  enough 
to  guide  a  boy  like  you,  don't  you  think  so  ?  There  !  you  need 
not  swell  up  like  a  hop-toad  and  try  to  look  rebellious.  Wait 
till  you  sample  my  minding,  it  is  half  and  half,  you  see  ;  some 
for  you,  and  some  for  me.  If  you  don't  like  the  partner- 


"A  Child  in  a  House  is  a  Well- Spring  of  Joy  "  227 

ship,  you  come  and  tell  me  in  a  month.     That's  fair,  I  am 
sure." 

"  I  like 'your  looks,  Aunt  Perdita  ;  I  wouldn't  mind  a  humbly 
woman,  anyhow." 

"  Nor  I ;  I  won't  get  no  lesson,  just  as  true  as  I  live  and 
breathe,"  said  Pandora. 

"  We'll  see  about  that  when  the  time  comes.  Now  I'll  show 
you  our  school-room. 

"  Can't  I  help  you,  aunty?"  asked  Cicely.  "  Let  me  carry 
your  pencil,  or  your  thimble.  I  love  to  be  useful,  and  I'm  so 
affecshunut,  you  can't  think!  will  you  give  me  a  dime  to  buy 
some  candy  ?  " 

"  And  then  you  can  just  pay  me  the  dime  you  owe  me  ;  you 
said  you'd  pay  me  to-morrow." 

"  But  this  isn't  to-morrow,  this  is  to-day ;  to-morrow  never 
comes." 

Cicely  burst  out  laughing  at  her  brother's  disturbed  face. 
Such  a  dissonant  noise  as  she  made.  It  caused  Perdita  to  turn 
quickly  and  look  at  her.  There  she  stood,  rosy-hued  and 
brilliant ;  but  what  an  expression  in  her  eyes,  and  what  dis 
colored  teeth  showed  between  her  carniel  lips  ! 

"Isn't  that  true,  aunty  ?  I've  got  the  best  of  him,  haven't  I ; 
Sister  Loyola  told  me  so ;  she  said  I  was  her  little  rose-bud,  and 
must  come  back  and  be  a  nun  like  her.  But  I'd  rather  be  yours, 
aunty.  The  nuns  are  always  in  black  and  have  no  bows  nor 
flowers,  and  their  bonnets  are  ugly.  I  shall  have  beautiful 
things  when  I  grow  up,  and  a  lover  to  write  me  notes,  like  Miss 
May  did  in  the  convent.  I'll  tell  you  a  good  joke  I  had  on  old 
Sister  Josephine  ;  it  will  make  you  laugh.  She  was  so  cheated, 
I  thought  I  should  die.  I  used  to  pretend  to  adore  her ;  I  used 
to  kiss  her  black  gown  and  everything,  you  know,  and  she 
thought  I  loved  her  so  much.  But  I  didn'-t ;  she  was  horrid, 
and  she  had  a  glass  eye.  I've  seen  her  take  it  out  and  put  it 
in.  And  she  made  me  go  up  and  sit  by  her  at  table.  She 
thought  that  was  a  great  honor ;  but  I  didn't  like  it.  There 


228 


A  Wild  Day  at  Blithebeck. 


wasn't  any  fun  up  there,  and  I  thought  I'd  manage  to  get  away 
from  her ;  and  she  used  to  send  me  for  the  hot  water  to  wash 
the  cups,  and  I  spilt  it  all  over  her.  I  expected  she'd  be  mad 
and  order  me  down,  but  she  only  said  I  was  awkward,  and  must 
be  careful.  But  I  upset  my  milk,  and  pushed  over  the  things, 
till  she  was  glad  to  get  rid  of  me  ;  and  she  said,  '  My  dear,  you 
must  not  think  I  don't  love  you,  but  you  will  have  to  go  back 
among  the  others,'  and  don't  you  belisve  she  heard  me  laughing 
over  the  fun  I  had  made  of  her,  and  she  was  so  put  out  that 
she  never  gave  me  another  good  mark  that  term.  Wasn't  she 
a  crazy  old  sister,  to  think  I  could  be  fond  of  her  ?" 

"  I  shall  be  on  my  guard,  Cicely,  if  you  profess  affection  for 
me.  I  shall  not  believe  you." 

"  Oh,  now,  auntie  !  You  are  pretty  !  You  are  sweet !  I  do 
love  you  !  may  I  have  some  ginger  cakes  ?  " 


CHAPTER  XXXII. 


A   WILD  DAY   AT   BLITHEBECK. 


HE  young  housekeeper  left  the  children 
up-stairs,  while  she  descended  to  the 
kitchen  to  give  some  directions  for  the 
dessert ;  and  taking  down  the  recipe- 
book,  she  sat  with  it  on  her  knee,  busily 
watching  the  frothing  egg  rise  under 
Hannah's  beater,  and  thinking  about  the 
curious  complications  every  day  of  her 

new  life  was  bringing  her,  when  she  was  so  startled  as  to  spring 
hurriedly  to  her  feet,  by  an  abominable  bellowing  down  the  speak- 


A  Wild  Day  at  Blithebeck.  229 

ing-tube  at  her  very  ears,  like  the  roaring  of  wild  buffaloes  on  a 
prairie. 

"  That's  them  children,  mum,"  remarked  Hannah,  disgustedly; 
"  they  puts  their  mouths'  to  that  round  thing  there,  and  it 
seems  as  if  they'd  split  their  throats.  But  they  don't,  oh,  no  ; 
they  only  make  other  folks  deaf.  Lord  bless  you,  mum  !  there 
ain't  no  livin'  with  them  children,  they  are  such  a  pair  of  torments. 
I  thought  I  should  jest  go  daft  last  summer.  I  didn't  need 
to  pay  my  money  to  go  to  no  caravan  to  see  wild  animals  while 
they  stayed  here.  Miss  Cicely,  she  seems  a  nice  little  lady." 

Perdita  had  never  observed  the  contrivance  in  the  wall 
before,  especially  as  the  other  end  of  it  was  in  Dame  Slaugh- 
ton's  room,  which  she  had  scarcely  entered  ;  and  she  examined 
it  with  some  curiosity,  and  her  first  impulse  was  to  treat  the 
rogues  to  a  return  blast,  but  she  caught  the  servant's  eye,  and 
restrained  herself  in  time. 

"  They  will  soon  tire  of  that  amusement,  and  after  all,  it  does 
not  hurt  anybody ;  "  said  she  philosophically,  returning  to  her 
puddings. 

Hannah  looked  her  over  in  surprise,  evidently  expecting  a 
tempest  of  anger.     "  Law,  now,  how  queer  ! "  was  the  mental 
comment  of  the  critic  below-stairs  ;  "there's  temper*  enough,  . 
under  them  eyes,  I'll  be  bound;  but  children  don't  seem' to 
the  ones  to  stir  it  up. 

Quiet  was  destined  to  be  of  short  duration ;  for  not  an  hour 
had  passed,  when  a  sound  of  mighty  rushing  water  overhead 
brought  Perdita  in  haste  to  the  stair-foot,  and  lo  !  a  swelling 
flood  was  pouring  down ;  a  swift  torrent,  turbid  and  angry,  like 
a  cataract  "  on  a  bust." 

Bertram  and  Pandora  had  turned  the  stop  cock  of  the  tub 
in  the  bath-room  at  the  head  of  the  flight,  and  the  floods  were 
descending  at  a  rate  which  threatened  speedily  to  empty  the 
tank. 

Perdita  ran  up,  regardless  of  wet  feet,  and  found  a  smooth 
sheet  flowing  over  the  whole  mouth  of  the  tub.  Closing  the 


230  A  Wild  Day  at  Blithebeck. 

faucet,  she  soon  stopped  it  and  then  discovered  the  immediate 
cause  of  the  accident.  They  had  been  sailing  a  cigar-box  boat 
and  the  handkerchief  they  had  used  for  a  flag  had  so 
sucked  into  the  overflow  as  to  effectually  cork  it.  When 
the  little  pickles  had  finished  their  game  and  hunted  out 
another,  their  lake  went  on  quietly  filling  and  filling,  till  at  last 
it  reached  a  result. 

Hastily  calling  for  brooms  and  mops,  and  working  hard  her 
self  as  well  as  keeping  the  maids  up  to  it,  the  mischief  was  in 
due  time  stopped ;  but  the  carpets  had  to  be  lifted,  being  com 
pletely  soaked. 

It  was  truly  a  trying  day.  Before  night  they  had  broken 
a  couple  of  valuable  vases,  dashed  to  pieces  a  cheval  glass, 
which  they  tried  to  make  turn  around  like  a  wind-mill,  annihi 
lated  a  rocking-chair,  by  all  climbing  into  it  and  upsetting  for 
a  railroad  accident,  led  by  Bertram,  who  was  engineer  and  whis 
tled  "down  brakes"  too  late,  and  got  a  fearful  bump,  which  had 
to  be  dressed  with  arnica  and  brown  paper.  They  unhooked 
the  pendulum  of  the  hall  clock,  that  they  might  play  prisoner 
in  a  dungeon,  in  the  dark  cupboard  where  it  was  accustomed 
to  swing,  and  nearly  frightened  little  Betty  out  of  her  senses, 
by  making  her  their  victim.  They  hopped  and  jumped  and 
hooted,  and  so  persecuted  Taffy's  kittens,  that  the  distracted 
mother  took  them  in  her  mouth  and  travelled  to  parts  unknown. 
They  kept  the  dog  Sam  yelping  and  barking  like  mad.  He 
evidently  thought  the  world  was  forgotten,  and  all  things 
returning  to  chaos. 

I  feel  almost  ashamed  to  say  that  Perdita  was  so  well  amused 
by  their  wild  antics,  which  had  all  the  free,  wilful  mischief  of 
rampant  childhood,  and  was  a  phase  of  existence  she  had  only 
known  as  an  irrepressible  outburst  occasionally,  which  called 
for  severe  punishments  in  her  own  youth,  that  instead  of  getting 
angry,  she  enjoyed  the  hubbub,  and  she  laughed  the  more  as 
Dame  Slaughton  raged  and  stormed,  and  threatened  to  bundle 
them  all  off  instantly. 


A  Wild  Day  at  Blithebeck.  231 

In  fact,  the  old  lady  came  to  an  issue  with  her  grandson  long 
before  sundown.  She  got  so  exasperated  that  she  tried  to 
shake  him  ;  but  the  sturdy  urchin  was  so  firmly  planted  on  his 
stout  legs  that  she  was  not  able  noticeably  to  disturb  his  equi 
librium.  His  feelings,  however,  were  outraged,  and  when  she 
took  off  her  hands  he  eyed  her  an  instant,  swelling  and  puffing, 
and  then  he  strided  to  the  door,  which  he  flung  open. 

"  Grandmother,  I'll  let  in  the  bears  onto  you.  Come,  bears  ! 
and  tear  her  all  to  bits  !  " 

When  the  prophet  called  down  fire  from  Heaven  upon  the 
idol  altar,  he  did  not  look  more  resolutely  expectant. 

Poor  little  Bettine  spent  the  day  in  an  ecstasy  of  fright.  No 
timid  lamb  set  among  ravening  wolves  could  have  been  more 
dismayed  ;  she  peeped  through  door-cracks,  or  hid  shivering  in 
closets,  starting  and  trembling  with  every  fresh  uproar,  till 
finally  Perdita  took  her  to  the  safe  asylum  of  her  own  room, 
and  even  there  she  fluttered  and  turned  pale  as  she  whispered  : 

"  What  are  they  doing  now?" 

Mr.  Slaughton  did  not  return  home  till  supper-time,  and  he 
came  in  just  as  they  were  all  ready  to  sit  down  at  table. 

Bertram  and  Pandora  flew  at  him  with  noisy  welcome,  which 
he  good-naturedly  returned ;  and  Cicely  spread  her  butterfly 
bows,  shook  out  her  skirts,  and  elevated  her  shoulders,  arrang 
ing  her  wrists  into  a  kangaroo  flop,  such  as  she  had  admired  in 
some  of  the  parlor  boarders  at  her  convent.  Having  made  the 
most  of  her  pink  poplin  and  blue  sash,  she  wriggled  up 
deliciously. 

"  How  do  you  do,  Uncle  Samuel  ? "  said  she.  "  Here's 
your  little  rose-bud  Cicely.  I  want  to  kiss  you.  Sister  Loyola 
says  my  mouth  is  as  sweet  as  a  flower,  but  I  must  not  kiss  the 
men.  I  don't  care  what  she  says ;  she  can't  give  me  any  more 
lives  to  learn.  If  you  was  a  father,  I'd  have  you  for  my  con 
fessor.  The  girls  all  went  to  Father  Xavier,  he  was  so  hand 
some  ;  but  he  was  not  so  handsome  as  you,  Uncle  Samuel. 
You  would  scold  those  children  if  you  knew  how  they  had 


232  A  Wild  Day  at  Blithebeck. 

been  behaving  to-day.  I  have  been  a  nice  little  lady  ;  haven't 
I,  grandma  ?  Can  1  go  riding  with  you  to-morrow  ?  " 

Mr.  Slaughton  looked  at  the  girl  a  moment  before  he 
answered  her.  There  was  little  in  his  words,  as  they  met  Per- 
dita's  ear;  but  his  face  said  a  good  deal.  "There  don't  seem 
to  be  much  Slaughton  here,  mother.  The  Vance  blood  has  the 
best  of  it;"  and  releasing  himself  from  the  rather  close  em- 
presse  clasp  of  his  niece's  arms,  he  turned  and  lifted  Betty  to 
the  level  of  his  lips,  looking  in  her  eyes  as  he  did  so. 

"Are  you  not  a  little  my  darling,  also?  "  whispered  he. 

"  Just  a  tiny  bit,  Mr.  Slaughton.  if  Perdita  can  spare  any  of 
me." 

"  No  ;  not  Mr.  Slaughton.     Uncle  Sam  ;  that's  my  name." 

"  But  Perdita  told  me  I  must  say  Mr.  Slaughton,"  replied 
she  timidly,  her  voice  about  as  loud  as  a  callow  wren's. 

"  After  supper,  you  ask  her  if  I  am  not  your  Uncle  Sam." 

"  That  will  I,  right  gladly,"  answered  the  mite.  I  like  to 
have  you  for  my  uncle  as  well  as  those.  Cicely  says  you  are 
not  uncle  to  me ;  only  to  her." 

"  Cicely ;  oh,  that  is  her  style,  is  it  ?  Will  you  ask  what  1 
told  you  ?  " 

"Won't  you  please  do  it  ?     She'll  mind  you." 

"  What  makes  you  think  so  ?  I  never  found  it  out." 

"  I  heard  her  tell  their  grandma  that  you  was  the  one  to 
mind." 

Perdita  had  stood  restlessly  waiting  till  he  should  release  her 
sister,  who  seemed  in  as  little  haste  to  go  as  was  he  to  have 
her ;  and  Dame  Slaughton,  not  much  pleased  either,  remarked 
tartly  : 

"  There !  there,  Samuel ;  don't  make  a  fool  of  that  child, 
pray  don't  !  You'll  have  trouble  enough,  Perdita,  if  you  don't 
teach  her  to  be  modest.  I  don't  think  any  great  of  girls  who 
run  up  and  hug  strange  men.  She  looks  to  me  as  if  she  needed 
a  tight  rein." 

The  mite  flew  to   her   sister,   covered  with   confusion  and 


A  Wild  Day  at  Blithebeck.  233 

blushes.  Though  hardly  old  enough  to  take  in  the  full  value  of 
the  dame's  remark,  she  understood  right  well  its  tone  of  re 
proof  and  the  unfriendly  frown  which  accompanied  it. 

"  Sit  here,  Bettine,"  said  Perdita  quietly.  "  This  is  where 
you  belong,  close  by  me.  That's  right,  tuck  up  your  curls 
while  I  tte  your  pinafore ;  I  expect  all  you  little  people  are 
hungry  enough  to  want  a  great  deal  of  supper,  after  such  a 
busy  day  as  you  have  made." 

Mr.  Slatighton  was  disturbed,  and  fearful  that  his  intimacy 
with  the  child  he  had  taken  such  a  fancy  for  might  be  nipped  in 
the  bud.  I  cannot  suppose  it  possible  that  he  had  any  other 
motive  for  his  caresses  Jhan  real  liking.  Of  course  not ;  how 
could  he  ?  He  did  not  say  anything,  because  he  did  not  know 
what  to  say ;  and  he  tried  to  follow  his  vis-a-vis'  course,  who 
appeared  to  ignore  the  taunt  altogether.  He  wondered  if  she 
was  as  indifferent  as  she  seemed.  He  had  already  found  out 
that  she  kept  many  of  her  thoughts  and  feelings  hidden  from 
everybody. 

Cicely  Vance,  having  expended  her  blandishments  on 
"  Aunty"  without  marked  results,  now  transferred  her  attentions 
to  grandma,  and  was  "  so  affecshunut "  to  her. 

Bertram  chose  for  himself  a  place  by  his  uncle,  as  man  of 
the  house,  watching  his  every  motion,  and  evidently  building  a 
code  of  table  etiquette  on  his  model,  which  he  carried  to  the 
length  of  making  a  wisp  of  his  napkin  and  carefully  rubbing  his 
plump  mouth  right  and  left,  cleansing  an  imaginary  mustache. 

Mr.  Slaugh  ton  listened  in  wonder  to  the  familiar  chit-chat  his 
wife  was  keeping  up  with  the  children,  laughing  at  their  smart 
ness,  joining  their  nonsense,  making  herself  one  of  them. 

"  Childish  among  children,"  he  thought  again,  as  he  had 
thought  at  the  picnic  in  the  wood  ;  and  truly  she  looked  not 
much  but  a  child  in  her  simplicity,  with  her  flowing  hair  and 
scanty  dress. 

A  very  indistinct  idea  flitted  into  his  mind,  how  a  society 
robe,  elaborate  and  rich,  with  jewels,  and  coiffure  d  la  mode, 


234  A  Wild  Day  at  Blithebeck. 

would  become  her,  and  a  half  wish  to  see  her  so  arrayed,  and  a 
vision  of  a  gentleman — as  it  might  be,  Mr.  Slaughton — with  her 
on  his  arm,  entering  a  drawing-room,  presented  itself  before 
his  imagination.  But  it  was  quickly  obscured  and  spoiled  by 
the  shut-out  feeling  awakened  by  the  liveliness  she  promoted, 
and  seemed  quite  able  and  willing  to  enjoy,  in  spite  of  him. 
When  most  genial,  she  never  chatted  with  him,  nor  seemed  to 
think  such  converse  possible  or  desirable.  The  best  approach 
to  confidence  he  had  found  was  their  consultation  over  the 
building  plan,  and  afterwards  when  they  planted  the  bulbs  ;  and 
even  then  she  kept  herself  aloof,  as  a  housekeeper  should. 

It  seems  difficult  to  say  why  her  pleasant  prattle  and  pretty 
ways,  so  unconscious  of  him,  should  annoy  him,  absorbed  in 
her  charge,  amused  with  them.  Yes,  no  doubt  of  that ;  one 
look  at  her  animated  face  proved  it,  and  her  smile  was  certainly 
arch,  her  countenance  expressive,  sweet,  candid,  full  of  feeling. 
Her  great  black  eyes,  just  as  they  rested  this  instant  on  his, 
were  kind,  loving,  sparkling,  brilliant ;  but  the  glance  was  not 
meant  for  him,  it  was  just  carried  over  to  his  face,  by  chance, 
from  a  look  at  Bettine,  as  a  brimming  cup  overflows. 

Mr.  Slaughton  felt  a  desire  to  make  some  table-talk  with  her 
— quite  a  new  desire.  Attending  always  to  his  duties,  he  had 
been  polite  and  silent,  and  quitted  the  board  as  soon  as  possi 
ble,  since  Chandy  left  them.  Perhaps  it  was  the  dame's  pres 
ence  which  restrained  him.  Once  or  twice  it  had  seemed  to 
Perdita  that  her  suspicious  observance  was  a  check  and  tram 
mel  on  his  freedom  of  speech  and  action. 

He  had  a  latent  dread  of  seeming  inconsistent,  changeable, 
and  could  not  forget  how  very  positively  he  had  declared  lasting 
and  sublime  indifference  to  the  girl  of  her  choice. 

"  Le  sang  reste  toujours  jeune"  Our  friend  Samuel  was  only 
thirty  years  old,  after  all,  and  a  beautiful,  attractive  woman 
under  his  roof,  continually  in  juxtaposition  with  him,  and  in  the 
queer  relations  growing  out  of  their  attitude  towards  each  other, 
could  not  be  otherwise  than  an  object  of  intense  interest — 


A  Wild  Day  at  Blithebeck.  23$ 

could  not  help  kindling  his  feelings,  even  although  he  had 
deeply  loved  Sabrina  Bradshaw  ten  years  ago.  Ten  years  is  an 
age  for  a  man  to  remain  faithful  to  a  lost  love.  How  many 
times  in  a  century  does  such  a  marvel  find  place  ? 

On  the  very  rare  occasions  when  he  had  addressed  a  remark 
to  his  wife  and  she  had  pleasantly  replied,  the  old  lady  had  cut 
in  with  some  tart  observation,  putting  an  end  to  further  talk, 
and  her  son  found  her  as  owly  as  did  Slowgo. 

She  was  in  a  particularly  testy  humor  this  evening,  which  was 
not  to  be  wondered  at,  considering  the  day  she  had  passed,  and 
she  nodded  ill-naturedly  to  a  whispered  communication  of 
Cicely  Vance's. 

"  Grandma,  hasn't  auntie  got  shocking  table  manners  ?  She 
holds  her  fork  in  her  fist.  This  is  the  way,  isn't  it  ?  " 

The  affected  little  minx  spread  all  her  fingers,  and  straight 
ened  the  little  one  till  it  quite  took  leave  of  the  others.  It 
was  such  an  absurd  caricature  of  the  lady  boarders,  and  she 
was  such  a  palpable  bundle  of  pretensions,  that  her  uncle 
burst  out  laughing.  With  all  her  trifling  levity,  she  was  sensi 
tive  to  ridicule,  and  she  blushed  a  beautiful  crimson,  while  her 
eyes  glistened  under  her  bent  brows  with  such  lurking  malice 
that  her  child-face  looked  malignant,  in  spite  of  its  superb 
coloring. 

Dame  Slaughton  told  her  not  to  mind,  and  said  it  was  a 
shame  for  grown  folks  to  make  game  of  children,  and  while 
she  talked  she  looked  at  Perdita,  who  had  not  opened  her 
mouth,  and  she  heaped  Cicely's  plate  with  seed-cake  and 
prunes,  and  did  not  offer  Betty  any.  Fortunately,  the  mite's 
taste  was  not  trained  to  sweets,  so  that  she  did  not  miss 
them  and  was  quite  content  with  her  cup  of  milk  and  white 
bread. 

"  Look,  Betty,  what  my  grandma  gives  me.  She  don't  give 
you  any,  do  you,  grandma  ?  " 

"  That  sounds  spiteful,  Miss  Cicely.  You  must  be  careful 
how  you  develope  such  traits,  if  you  want  to  be  friends  with 


236  A  Wild  Day  at  Blithcbeck. 

me,"  said  Mr.  Slaughton,  severely.  "  Rose-buds  should  distil 
no  venom  among  their  sweet  juices." 

"  Why,  Uncle  Samuel,  1  don't  know  what  you  mean ! " 
exclaimed  Cicely. 

"  Now  I  have  a  riddle  for  you  to  guess,"  said  Perdita,  evi 
dently  wishing  to  change  the  topic.  Netticoat,  netticoat,  with 
a  white  petticoat  and  red  nose  ;  the  longer  she  stands,  the  shorter 
she  grows.  While  all  the  piping  voices  were  going  at  once 
with  guesses,  Dame  Slaughton  eyed  her  new  daughter.  She 
was  every  day  more  and  more  convinced  that  she  was  not  the 
patient,  yielding  creature  she  had  been  led  to  expect  by  Mrs. 
Hethwaite,  and  she  felt  as  if  deceived  and  imposed  upon — 
nearly  defrauded,  as  if  her  neighbor  had  gotten  the  girl  the 
place  on  false  representations.  This  was  the  more  disagreea 
ble  and  hard  to  bear,  as  she  had  no  recourse  in  complaining  to 
her  son. 

On  the  occasion  of  the  increased  help  she  had  tried  that 
safety-valve  to  her  surcharged  feelings,  and  he  had  blandly  assur 
ed  her  that  the  affair  was  of  her  own  choosing,  and  she  must  try  to 
put  up  with  any  little  disappointments  she  might  meet,  as  well 
as  she  could ;  and  further,  as  to  the  matter  in  hand,  he  quite 
agreed  with  the  new  incumbent,  and  hoped  he  should  never 
again  be  mortified  by  too  few  servants,  as  he  had  been  during  the 
late  visit  of  his  friend.  Thus  plainly  demonstrating,  not  only 
that  she  could  hope  for  no  sympathy  from  him,  but  that  he  was 
likely  at  any  moment  to  go  over  to  the  other  faction. 


What  Perdita  Saw  in  the  Studio.  237 


CHAPTER  XXXIII. 


WHAT   PERDITA     SAW   IN   THE    STUDIO. 


ERDITA  opened  the  school-room  door  and 
looked  out.  She  missed  the  little  rogue 
Pandora,  and  was  wondering  what  could 
have  become  of  her. 

While  attending  to  Cicely's  lessons 
(which  never  progressed  without  a  good 
deal  of  personal  supervision,  the  geogra 
phy  being  supplanted  by  a  story-book  or 
rag-baby  as  soon  as  her  back  was  turned),  the  child  had  slipped 
in  to  beg  for  a  drink  of  water — that  never-failing  want  of 
restless  scholars,  and  had  danced  off,  and  had  not  danced  back 
again. 

As  she  listened,  she  heard  pounding  and  racket  in  the  tipper 
regions,  and,  stepping  to  the  attic  stairs,  she  distinctly  caught 
her  own  name,  muffled  and  shut  out,  as  if  the  voice  was  shut 
in  behind  walls. 

"  Aunt  Pud-e-e-e-e-e-ter  !  "  Yes,  that  was  Pandora,  and  she 
ran  swiftly  to  the  second  landing. 

u  Aunt  Pud-e-e-e-e-e-ter  !"    It  was  inside  the  studio,  and  was 
getting  hopeless  and  pitiful,  and  ended  with  a  wail  and  a  sniffle. 
She  tried  the  door,  it  was  fastened  ;  she  knocked  and  called, 
"  Pandora,  Pandora  !  hush  !  what  are  you  in  there  for  ?  " 

"  Oh,  let  me  out,  Aunt  Perdita,  I  won't  never  do  so  no 
more  !  " 

"  Who  locked  you  in  ?  " 

"I  turned  the  key  round  a  little  bit,  and  now  it  won't  go 
back.  Oh  dear !  Aunt  Puditer,  can't  you  open  it  ?  Shall  I 
have  to  stay  in  here  till  I  am  starved  to  death,  and  never  see 
nobody  no  more  ?  Won't  Uncle  Samuel  break  the  old  door 


238  What  Pcrdita  Saw  in  the  Studio, 

down  with  his  ax  and  let  me  out  ?  and   there's   mice    in   here; 
ooh — ooh  ! " 

"Be  quiet,  Pandora;  little  brown  mice  won't  hurt  you. 
Keep  still  now,  till  I  see  what  I  can  do." 

She  looked  about  her.  There  was  a  key  in  the  door  of  the 
cedar  room  opposite.  She  pulled  it  out  and  tried  it,  talking 
all  the  while  to  the  captive  in  a  cheerful  voice. 

"  Now,  Pandora,  can't  you  pull  out  your  key?  I  can't  do 
any  good  till  you  do.  Try  hard." 

A  jarring  and  poking  followed,  and  then  a  successful 
"  There  !"  which  proved  the  feat  accomplished;  and  Perdita 
opened  the  door  and  found  Pandora  with  terrified  face,  and 
daubed  from  head  to  foot  with  her  uncle's  colors,  the  tints  of 
which  she  had  been  trying,  and  there  is  not  a  hue  known  to 
painters  which  was  not  represented  somewhere  on  her  face, 
hands,  or  pinafore  apron. 

"  Oh,  you  naughty  little  mischief,  what  have  you  been  at  ?" 

"  I  tried  to  make  a  picture,  Aunt  Pudeter,  but  it  wouldn't 
make  so  good  as  I  wanted." 

As  soon  as  the  terror  was  off,  the  waggish  elf  was  as  confi 
dent  and  saucy  as  ever.  "  Look  !  this  is  my  house,  and  this 
is  my  chimney  ;  and'here  f  am,  in  my  front  door." 

Perdita  glanced  fearfully  about,  dreading  the  havoc  the 
sprite  might  have  effected  among  precious  things  which 
seemed  strewn  on  every  side,  and  she  looked  with  curiosity 
too. 

A  studio  had  been  a  mythical  region  to  her.  While  her  eyes 
were  occupied  with  antiques,  vases,  goblets,  broken  columns, 
half-finished  heads,  casts  of  arms  and  feet,  suits  of  armor  sus 
pended  from  the  wall,  as  if  their  owners  had  been  sentenced  to 
be  hanged  and  had  dried  away  and  been  forgotten  ;  studies  and 
helps  which  the  artist  had  collected  during  his  foreign  life, 
Pandora  pulled  her  impatiently  by  the  skirt. 

"  Come  clear  in,  Aunt  Pudeter,  and  see  the  beautiful 
woman." 


What  Perdita  Saw  in  the  Studio.  239 

"  No,  indeed  ;  you  have  no  business  here.  I  don't  know 
what  your  uncle  won't  do  to  you." 

"  Uncle  Sam  won't  hurt  me"  retorted  Mischief  confidently. 
"  I've  been  in  here  before  with  him,  and  grandma  showed  me 
all  the  pictures  her  own  self.  Look,  Aunt  Perdita!  just  look  ! 
Grandma  says  it  is  a  Bible  girl  that  was  very  good  to  her 
folks." 

The  young  wife  put  aside  the  feeling  that  the  Master  should 
be  the  one  to  exhibit  to  her  the  treasures  of  his  sanctum,  which 
was  strong  in  her.  Youth  and  feminine  curiousness  had  the 
best  of  all  restraining  impulses,  and  impelled  her  to  peep  in  at 
the  "  den  "  the  two  friends  had  spoken  of  together,  and  where 
her  husband  passed  so  many  of  his  hours  in  a  seclusion  he  had 
never  invited  her  to  share.  She  took  a  couple  of  steps  for 
ward,  and  as  she  did  so  her  eyes  followed  the  pointing  finger 
the  child  extended. 

Turning  about  as  she  crossed  the  threshold,  she  stood  motion 
less,  filled  with  strange  agitations. 

The  Ruth  had  been  carried  to  the  east  end  of  the  long  room, 
which  took  in  the  whole  length  of  the  mansion,  and  beneath  it 
hung  the  young  girl  bearing  a  pitcher  in  her  hands. 

Its  position  had  been  changed  at  Chandy's  suggestion,  for 
the  western  light  which  flooded  it,  and  brought  it  out  like  life. 

A  pure,  adorable  face ;  a  wonderfully  symmetrical  head 
covered  with  masses  of  dead  gold  hair  ;  a  proudly-poised  head. 

This  was — it  must  be — the  only  woman  Mr.  Slaughton  had 
ever  seen  worth  loving  ;  was  it  the  pride  which  had  kept  them 
asunder  ? 

While  she  gazed,  her  husband's  words  came  vividly  to  her 
memory.  "  This  black-browed  woman  resembles  my  ideal  as 
much  as  darkness  resembles  light.  It  was  true.  Absolute 
contrast  indeed. 

She  did  not  know  how  long  she  stood  gazing  at  the  pictures, 
so  many  tumultuous  emotions  crowded  her  mind ;  and  there  was 
born  within  her  a  new  passion— -jealousy. 


240  What  Perdita  Saw  in  the  Studio, 

She  had  got  each  feature,  every  tint,  by  heart.  The  whole 
conception  was  hers  to  minutest  perfection,  even  to  the  faint 
blue  vein  which  threaded  the  fair  forehead  ;  and  the  bunch  of 
purple  violets  on  the  white  breast,  which  seemed  to  her  ex 
cited  sense  to  rise  and  fall  with  the  pure  breath  which  came 
through  the  parted"  lips  ;  and  the  eyes,  so  spirituelle,  so  full  of 
feeling,  so  liquid,  so  fathomless,  seemed  to  pour  their  ineffable 
splendor  into  her  deepest  soul,  irradiating  her  secret  thoughts. 

Perdita  could  not  leave  that  room  precisely  the  same  woman 
who  entered  it.  She  had  seen  her  husband's  first  and  only 
love  ;  she  had  found  her  such  an  adorable  beauty  as  a  man 
could  not  fail  to  worship.  With  the  new-born  jealousy  sprang 
also  a  grain  of  pity  for  the  poor  fellow  who  had  lost  this  won 
drous  treasure.  He  had  gained  a  new  interest  in  her  mind  ;  he 
became  a  subject  for  her  fancy's  picturing,  and  in  the  days 
which-  followed  she  looked  at  him  often.  She  followed  him  in 
imagination  through  the  life  he  must  have  lived  at  Sabrina 
Bradshaw's  side  when  those  lustrous  glances  dwelt  kindly  on 
him,  those  humid  sweet  lips  smiled  replies  to  his  talk,  that  lovely 
hand  touched  his. 

She  let  herself  dream  out  a  romance  with  those  two  for 
actors,  and  she  almost  wished  she  was  enough  the  friend  of  the 
man  whose  name  she  bore  to  ask  him  why  he  had  lost  his  love. 

Mr.  Slaughton,  coming  and  going  in  her  neighborhood, 
scarcely  felt  any  change  in  her.  Once  or  twice,  when  he  was 
moved  to  look  at  her,  a  pitying  gentleness,  which  melted  in  her 
black  eyes  and  attuned  her  voice  to  softness,  set  his  pulse 
beating  quickly.  It  was  a  fleeting,  evanescent,  intangible 
charm,  which  was  scarcely  materialized  to  consciousness,  subtle 
and  delicate. 

It  brought  them  into  no  better  harmony,  however.  She  held 
quietly  her  way,  ordering  his  house  into  completeness.  She 
kept  sedulously  the  daily  school,  was  positive  with  the  children, 
ceremoniously  civil  to  the  dame,  and  she  dwelt  almost  as  much 
apart  from  her  husband  as  if  she  inhabited  another  star. 


What  Pcrdita  Saw  in  tJie  Studio.  241 

There  might  have  been  some  magnetic  current  between  them 
too.  He  thought  of  her,  remembered  her  words,  and  was 
moved  to  exert  himself  for  her  pleasure,  because  he  brought 
one  evening  a  handsome  carved  fernery,  and  placed  it  in  the 
window  she  had  indicated  as  the  desired  spot  for  such  a  thing ; 
it  was  filled  with  begonias,  callas,  trailing  arbutus,  ivies,  and 
foliage  plants  ;  and  it  was  indeed  the  finishing  ornament  of 
the  library.  He  waited  all  day  for  her  to  see  and  approve,  and 
at  evening  he  was  impatient. 

"Come  to  your  pleached  bower, 
Where  honeysuckles,  ripened  by  the  sun, 
Forbid  the  sun  to  enter — like  favorites 
Made  proud  by  princes,  that  advance  their  pride 
Against  the  power  that  bred  it. 

"  That  is  to  say,  will  it  please  you  to  come  into  the  library 
and  see  what  a  busybody  has  been  about  there." 

Most  unluckily  her  thoughts  had  been  all  the  morning  dwell 
ing  upon  Ruth  in  the  studio — his  first  and  only  love  ;  and  so  he 
got  none  of  the  pleasure  for  his  pains  he  had  counted  on. 

"  It  is  rarely  beautiful,"  said  she,  "  and  well  filled.  I  shall 
see  that  it  thrives  as  it  ought.  You  may  count  on  all  the  satis 
faction  you  expected  from  it,  sir." 

He  left  her,  chafing  at  her  unsympathetic  manner ;  and  as 
he  went  briskly  off,  she  watched  his  going. 

"  Had  it  been  Sabrina,"  she  thought,  bitterly,  "  how  graceful 
she  would  have  been  ;  how  gracious  he." 

The  more  the  poor  child  mused  on  the  gorgeous  woman 
hood  her  husband's  pencil  had  emblazoned  on  his  canvas,  and 
which  must  be  after  all  but  a  faint  shadowing  of  the  real  person, 
the  more  she  let  her  eyes  see  and  her  mind  admit  the  worth  of 
the  man  who  had  lost  it — the  more  bitterly  she  felt  her  own 
deficiencies  and  demerits,  and  the  cruelty  of  the  fate  which  had 
bound  her  to  a  husband  whose  taste  rejected  her,  finding  her 
displeasing  and  insufficient  as  he  did.  Had  she  not  his  own 
11 


242  What  Perdita  Saw  in  the  Studio. 

words,  very  plain  and  explicit,  to  make  her  certain  of  the  fact  ? 
The  worrying  sting  of  the  wretched  truth  wounded  her  most 
when  he  made  any  effort  to  be  complaisant. 

"  He  pities  the  girl  with  the  brow  of  Egypt ;  he  wishes  to 
be  civil  to  his  housekeeper." 

Courage  was  not  born  of  her  knowledge.  She  had  been 
allowed  so  little  time  for  deliberation  ;  had  been  so  pushed,  so 
hurried ;  she  was  such  a  child  in  experience,  in  familiarity  with 
strange  people  ;  and  then,  besides,  the  intense  mortification  she 
had  felt  when  the  affair  of  the  letter  written  to  warn  her  not  to 
marry  in  haste  reached  her,  grew  and  grew  each  day  with  her 
brooding  over  it ;  so  that,  even  when  she  found  in  herself  any 
emotion  of  gratitude  or  friendliness  for  its  author,  she  smother 
ed  it  as  improper  and  unbecoming  her  woman's  dignity. 

Parson  Hethwaite  had  been  her  type  of  manhood  ;  his  wife 
the  type  of  wives.  In  a  larger  sphere  theirs  was  the  life  she  had 
seen  in  prospect  in  her  new  home  ;  and  she  had  brought  to  it 
all  the  earnestness  of  her  nature,  fully  believing  she  should  need 
it.  That  though  bearing  this  yoke,  she  might  still  retain  such 
measure  of  freedom  as  steady  resistance  could  insure  her  ;  and 
thus  far,  through  all  her  unrest  and  perplexities,  she  had  never 
for  a  moment  lost  sight  of  the  ultimate  object  to  be  gained 
when  she  let  herself  be  passively  wived — some  ability  and  space 
to  aid  those  she  had  left  at  the  parsonage. 

The  person,  the  mind,  the  tastes,  the  culture  of  the  ;//<?//, 
which  had  not  entered  into  her  account  up  to  the  day  when 
she  stood  on  his  threshold,  waiting  a  bidding  to  enter  his  house, 
were  becoming  of  paramount  importance,  even  in  her  divided 
isolated  life  near  him,  now  that  her  mind  had  awakened  to  new 
impressions. 

Chandy  Goldsmith's  visit  had  showed  her  novel  sort  of  gen 
tlemen,  and  Mr.  Slaughton  suffered  not  a  whit  in  comparison 
with  him.  Everything  around  her  had  been  closely  studied  ; 
much  only  partially  understood,  because  she  examined  from 
her  own  standpoint,  having  no  previous  experiences  or  informa- 


"/;/  Piping  Times  of  Peace"  243 

tion  to  go  on  ;  and  to  all  her  insights,  all  her  conclusions  up  to 
this  last  day  when  had  been  revealed  to  her  the  wonderful 
beauty  she  discovered  in  the  studio,  she  had  found  no  reason 
able  expectation  of  any  change  in  the  line  of  life  she  had  at 
first  marked  out  for  herself — housekeeper  and  governess. 

But  though  there  might  be  little  alteration  in  her  demeanor, 
or  prospects,  there  certainly  were  springing  within  her  new 
impulses — faint,  scarcely  discernible,  hardly  felt,  not  really 
recognized  or  acknowledged  by  herself — just  germs  of  some 
thing  possible. 


CHAPTER  XXXIV. 

"IN    PIPING    TIMES    OF    PEACE." 


AME  SLAUGHTON  was  on  a  visit  to  the 
Brandigees.  She  was  hugely  enjoying 
herself  in  talking  over  her  daughter-in- 
law  with  her  old  friend,  who  "  Oh'd " 
and  "  Ah'd  ! "  and  said,  "  I  want  to 
know,"  and  "  Do  tell,"  and  gave  in  ex 
change  sundry  confidences  concerning 
Mrs.  Richard  Pritchard,  who  had  been 

early  left  a  widow,  and  lived  with  her  children,  with  her  hus 
band's  family. 

Mr.  Slaughton  was  in  Toptown,  making  arrangements  for  the 
hanging  of  a  couple  of  pictures  in  the  Exhibition  rooms,  pre 
paratory  to  the  autumn  opening. 

He  worked  constantly  at  his  art ;  he  drove  away  at  the  farm 
ing  till  Slowgo  found  him  almost  as  "  owly  "  as  his  mother. 
He  was  no  idle  man,  as  his  many  finished  landscapes  fully 
proved.  Though  Chandy  called  him  lazy,  he  painted  to  sell, 


244  "/«  Piping  Times  of  Peace" 

and  he  did  sell  for  large  prices.  He  was  as  indefatigable  in 
his  profession  as  his  father  had  been  in  bridge-building,  and  he 
made  it  pay  in  good  hard  money. 

The  nation's  festival  was  at  hand,  the  presidential  proclama 
tion  of  thanksgiving  for  the  twenty-seventh  of  November  had 
been  read  from  all  the  pulpits  in  our  wide  land. 

Mr.  Slaughton  felt  a  new  interest  in  the  approaching  day 
He  was  experiencing  a  sort  of  pleasurable  curiosity  to  ascertain 
how  his  girl-wife  would  carry  herself  at  the  head  of  his  table, 
which  he  meant  to  fill  with  her  family  and  his  own. 

Timbuctoo  was  far  in  the*  dim  distance,  and  home  interests 
were  becoming  paramount. 

When  Mr.  Slaughton  put  himself  in  the  train  he  also  depos 
ited  in  the  baggage-room  sundry  packages  :  Item — one  keg  of 
white  grapes,  one  drum  of  figs  ;  one  box  of  Dehesia  raisins, 
one  of  selected  oranges,  wrapped  in  tissue-paper,  also  a  basket 
of  French  confections,  snapping  mottoes,  etc. 

Mr.  Slaughton  felt  eminently  pleased  with  his  purchases,  and 
he  smiled  as  he  drew  from  his  pocket  a  book  of  parlor  games ; 
and  he  perused  it  attentively  to  the  end,  and  noted  particular 
pages  with  his  pencil,  and  after  he  had  finished  he  began  to 
think. 

Thanksgiving  seemed  to  him  a  good  time  for  a  prosperous 
progress  towards  an  amicable  understanding  with  a  dark  eyed 
girl  he  knew  of.  Indeed,  I  believe  his  interest  in  the  festival 
centered  right  there  ;  no  other  motive  would  have  been  suffi 
ciently  powerful  to  move  him  to  such  trouble  and  pains  as  he 
was  taking.  But  with  his  cogitations  was  mixed  a  certain 
sheepishness  born  of  the  new  role  he  was  playing,  and  diffidence 
of  success.  He  was  afraid  that  he  had  not  yet  learned  to  woo 
his  wife  so  agreeably  as  to  induce  her  to  forgive  her  first  day 
of  wedlock. 

He  returned  twenty-four  hours  sooner  than  he  expected  ;  he 
hurried  his  business  that  he  might  do  so,  and  he  was  obliged  to 
walk  up  from  the  depot  in  consequence. 


"In  Piping  Times  of  Peace."  245 

As  he  set  foot  within  his  gate,  he  paused  a  moment  to  listen 
to  music. 

It  came*  from  the  library,  which  was  so  cheerily  illumined 
that  long,  slant  sheets  of  light  lay  on  the  ground  beneath  its 
windows.  Miss  McLeod's  reel,  played  in  such  sprightly  time 
as  dancers  like,  swiftly-flitting  figures,  and  merry  childish  voices, 
hinted  at  a  frolic. 

He  stepped  upon  the  piazza  and  looked  in  ;  he  saw  a  pretty 
scene,  like  a  Rembrandt  interior,  vivid  and  glowing. 

Bathed  in  the  warm  brightness  of  the  autumn  splendor  on  the 
walls,  and  the  fire-shine  in  the  chimney,  which  ruddily  blazed, 
were  grouped  the  children,  laughing  and  gleeful.  Even  little 
Bettine  was  flying  about  like  a  fairy  by  moonlight. 

The  study  table  had  been  pushed  into  a  corner,  and  on  it 
was  perched  Perdita,  whose  small  ankles  in  their  red  hose  were 
quite  visible,  as  she  swung  her  feet  to  and  fro  in  time  to  the 
soft,  penetrating  strains  she  was  drawing  from  a  yellow  German 
flute  at  her  lips,  and  she  was  so  wholly  absorbed  by  her  occu 
pation  that  she  did  not  observe  her  husband,  who  stood  some 
seconds  framed  in  the  doorway,  a  presentation  of  no  despicable 
manhood. 

His  artistic  tastes  were  gratified  with  the  pleasing  picture. 
His  wife's  oval  face,  delicate-featured,  clear  and  pale,  shaded 
by  jetty  brows  and  coal-black  hair,  seemed  to  him  exquisitely 
lovely,  and  in  her  uplifted  eyes  he  found  a  tender  pensiveness 
they  never  showed  when  conscious  of  his  neighborhood.  He 
liked  her  better,  thus  off  the  defence  she  seemed  always  to 
maintain  in  his  presence.  She  looked  sweeter,  more  careless 
and  unrestrained  than  he  had  ever  seen  her,  and  as  he  stood 
gazing  at  her  he  wished  he  knew  how  to  behave  so  as  to  be  able 
to  get  her  companionship  at  its  best  and  richest. 

Her  long,  slender  neck,  soft  and  smooth  as  satin,  was 
encircled  by  a  crimson  ribbon,  from  which  depended  a 
carved  heart  of  apple  tree  wood,  which  Teddy  had  this  evening 
brought  to  her,  and  he  fell  to  thinking  how  a  certain  case  of 


246  "In  Piping  Times  of  Peace. " 

uncut  rubies  he  had  in  his  cabinet  would  become  it,  with  their 
blaze  and  resplendent  radiance.  Not  that  he  had  any  fixed  in 
tention  of  offering  them  to  her  ;  it  was  merely  a  suggestion  of 
his  fancy,  for  a  study  he  might  make,  if  she  wore  them. 

Cicely  was  everywhere,  colored  like  a  damask  rose,  giving 
orders  in  her  cracked  voice,  pushing  the  others  into  their  places, 
and  frisking  down  the  middle,  while  she  bowed  and  nodded  to 
the  head  couple ;  she  said,  "  Now  I  am  in  my  elements,"  and 
she  really  was  enjoying  the  frolic  and  forgetting  her  airs 
and  borrowed  graces  as  much  as  was  possible  for  such  a 
surface-child  to  do. 

The  young  folks  from  the  parsonage  were  all  on  the  floor 
except  Teddy,  who  had  taken  refuge  in  a  corner  and  was  bend 
ing  over  a  book  he  had  found  in  the  case,  and  which  absorbed 
all  his  faculties. 

Pandora  was  the  first  to  catch  sight  of  her  uncle,  and  she 
sprang  forward  and  seized  both  his  hands. 

"  Oh,  Uncle  Sam  !  I  am  so  glad  you've  come  ;  now  I  shall 
have  you  for  my  partner  ;  Cicely  says  I  am  too  clumsy." 

The  flautist  slid  down  from  her  perch,  and  dropped  the 
instrument  to  her  side,  as  she  stood  with  her  head  up,  provoked 
and  surprised,  but  also  somewhat  shamefaced,  despite  her 
proud  attitude. 

"  Good  evening,  Orchestra,"  said  Mr.  Slaughton,  advancing 
and  bowing  low  ;  "pray  don't  stop  for  me.  It  is  said  to  be 
difficult  to  arrive  pat  between  too  early  and  too  late  ;  but  i 
feel  for  once  1  have  hit  the  very  nick  of  time.1" 

"  You  said  you  would  not  be  home  till  to-morrow  ;  at  least, 
your  mother  told  me  so." 

"  If  I  had  known  that  you  hold  revels  in  my  absence,  I 
would  have  come  anyhow ;  and  I  thank  the  luck  which  has 
pushed  me  into  the  middle  of  them.  Oh  !  yes,  I  should  have 
come,  even  if  I  had  foreseen  the  sorry  welcome  I  am  getting. 
This  room  is  such  a  gay  scene  as  the  old  house  has  not  shown 
for  many  a  day,  if  ever.  It  fills  me  with  wonder." 


"/«  Piping  Times  of  Peace,"  247 

"  I  took  the  opportunity  of  your  and  your  mother's  absence 
to  give  the  children  an  evening  of  pleasure,"  stammered  Per- 
dita,  feeling  almost  guilty  under  his  scrutiny. 

"  We  had  to  earn  it  first,  though,  I  tell  you ! "  shouted  Ber 
tram,  coming  up  and  leaning  fearlessly  against  his  aunt.  She's 
a  woner,  she  is ;  she  wouldn't  give  in  till  we  suited  her.  I  had 
ten  pages  of  British  Chronicles ;  Cicely  got  every  line  of  the 
"  Pied  Piper  of  Hamelin." 

"  I  did  the  map  of  Africer  in  my  gografer,  capes,  promintories, 
and  all,"  said  Pandora. 

"  I  wish  you  would  not  wait  till  I  am  out  of  the  house  for 
your  frolics,"  said  Mr.  Slaughton  reproachfully.  "I  am  fond  of 
them.  You  will  persist  in  treating  me  like  a  household  ogre." 

"  I  put  it  in  your  absence  on  purpose  to  save  you  annoy 
ance.  I  understood  you  disapproved  of  clatter  and  chatter." 

"Grandma  said  that;  I  heard  her,"  spoke  up  Pandora, 
"  She  says  she  won't  have  the  Hethwaite  young  ones  always 
coming  here,  eating  dinner  and  supper." 

The  gentleman  looked  quickly  at  his  wife,  and  saw  by  her 
face  that  the  little  mischief  spoke  truth. 

"  I  hope — I  really — trust — I  feel  much  annoyed, "   he  began. 

"  If  you  wish  to  let  me  know  that  you  are  troubled  by  the  very 
plain  Saxon  I  get,  you  are  wasting  unexpected  sensibility.  I 
intend  to  take  my  own  part ;  it  is  a  necessity  of  my  bargain. 
There  is  the  good  I  esteem  sufficient  to  outweigh  anything," 
glancing  at  her  sister.  "She  is  rosy  and  happy;  that  contents 
me." 

It  seemed  to  Mr.  Slaughton  that  her  voice  sounded  a  little 
dispirited  as  she  went  on  ;  that  might  be  because  her  tasks 
looked  so  terrific  to  him. 

"  I  mean  to  discharge  my  whole  duty  to  the  Vances,  as  I 
consider  best.  I  felt  the  lack  of  all  pastimes  in  my  childhood. 
They  shall  not ;  and  as  I  know  of  no  truer,  more  honest  children 
than  my  brothers  and  sisters,  I  shall  invite  them  to  share  their 
sports. 


248  "/«  Piping  Times  of  Peace" 

"  I  hope  so,  indeed ;  I  am  glad  to  hear  you  say  so.  It  is  a 
capital  plan.  I  heartily  approve  your  idea,  and  trust  you  will 
carry  it  out  to  the  full,"  replied  the  gentleman  eagerly,  as  if 
glad  to  be  helped  out  of  a  disagreeable  dilemma  ;  and  he 
reached  down  and  picked  up  little  Betty,  who  had  come  noise- 
and  slipped  her  fingers  into  his. 

"  Ah,  fair  Titania !  wilt  kill  me  a  red-hipped  bumblebee  on 
the  top  of  a  thistle,  and  bring  me  the  honey-bag  ;  or  shall  we 
go  seek  some  dew-drops  here,  and  hang  a  pearl  in  every  cow 
slip's  ear  ?" 

"  No,  no,  Uncle  Sam,  put  me  down,  please.  I  want  to  talk 
to  Bertram  ;  I  was  glad  for  you  to  come  home." 

As  she  ilitted  off  backwards  with  airy  motion,  her  light  hair 
dancing  and  her  small  lips  smiling  at  them,  Perdita  sent  after 
her  a  glance  freighted  with  unutterable  love. 

"  If  she  grows  up  in  full  blossom  of  her  winsome  budding, 
there  will  be  scores  of  broken  hearts,"  said  Mr.  Slaughton. 

"  Heaven  grant  her  grace  to  win  and  keep  one,"  replied 
Perdita. 

"  Can  it  be  that  she  has  other  lives  beside  her  sister's,  in  hei 
mind,"  thought  the  gentleman,  studying  her  eloquent  face. 

Cicely  had  meanwhile  gone  and  thrown  both  arms  around 
"  auntie,  "  while  she  looked  up  "  so  affecshunut,"  and  over  at  hei 
uncle,  intending  him  to  observe  her  sweet  ways. 

"  Betty  !  IVtty  !"  she  called  out,  when  Perdita  placed  a  ca 
ressing  hand  on  her  as  she  made  it  a  duty  to  do  if  the  mother 
less  child  offered  her  any  demonstrations  of  fondness.  "  Betty, 
look  at  me  ;  I'm  in  your  place  !  Don't  you  wish  you  was  me  ?  " 

Perdita  let  the  girl  go,  giving  her  a  little  push  ;  she  could 
never  find  anything  real  in  her ;  all  her  actions  seemed  prompted 
by  unworthy  motives — they  were  either  put  forth  to  further  a 
secret  scheme  for  pleasure  or  gain,  or  to  tantalize  and  worry 
somebody  else. 

Mr.  Slaughton  soon  followed  his  wife  to  the  window,  whither 
she  went  after  Cicely's  outing.  He  wished  to  bespeak  her  in- 


"/;/  Piping  Times  of  Peace"  249 

terest  in  his  Thanksgiving  dinner  ;  and  he  was  encouraged  to  the 
attempt  by  a  friendly  smile  her  face  wore  while  her  attention  was 
fixed  on  Hetty  and  Bertram,  who  were  exchanging  confidences  ; 
and  lie  also  paused  to  hear  what  they  were  saying. 

"  Look,  how  pretty  those  clouds  are  !  I  should  like  to  be  an 
angel  and  fly  up  among  them.  Shouldn't  you  ?"  asked  the 
mite. 

"  Could  we  fly  if  we  was  angels,  do  you  suppose  ?  "  inquired 
the  boy,  shaking  his  shoulders  as  if  he  felt  pinions  starting  be 
neath  them. 

"  Oh,  yes,  we  could,  just  as  easy  as  butterflies  ;  mother  says 
we  shall  have  beautiful  white  wings,  as  white  as  those  clouds 
by  the  moon,  when  we  die." 

"  Have  we  all  got  to  be  angels,  boys  and  all  ?  " 

"  Yes  ;  it  is  lovely  to  be  an  angel ;  we  shall  want  to  be  it 
awfidly." 

"  What  !  all  covered  with  feathers  ?  " 

Betty  considered  a  little,  this  point  being  not  fully  revealed 
in  her  teachings  ;  but  as  the  context  seemed  to  imply  it,  she 
replied  quite  confidently  at  length  : 

"  Yes,  feathers  ;  beautiful,  soft  white  feathers." 

"Legs  and  all?" 

Here  was  another  poser,  but  she  did  not  hesitate,  and  asserted 
promptly  and  decidedly,  "Yes,  legs  and  all." 

l>ertram  made  a  wry  face,  and  passed  his  hands  up  and  down 
his  short,  plump  limbs. 

"  I  should  not  like  being  an  angel  at  all !  good  enough  for 
you  girls  ;  but  how  am  I  to  get  on  my  pantaloons  without 
rumpling  my  feathers  ?  " 

The  two  listeners  smiled  at  each  other  ;  but  by  common  con 
sent  they  refrained  from  breaking  in  on  the  conference,  and  left 
the  small  teacher  to  get  out  of  her  predicament  as  she  best  could. 

"  You  have  a  novel  accomplishment  for  a  lady,"  said  Mr. 
Slaughton,  keeping  by  Perdita's  side,  and  looking  at  the  flute 
she  still  carried  in  her  hand. 
II* 


250  "/«  Piping  Times  of  Peace" 

"  I  suppose  so.  I  did  not  choose  it ;  but  as  I  had  nothing 
else  to  play  except  a  Jew's-harp,  and  the  whistles  Teddy  used  to 
make  me,  I  picked  it  up  for  the  sake  of  getting  something 
capable  of  sweet  sounds." 

"  It  looks  very  old,  and  is  wonderfully  sweet  and  mellow." 

"  My  father  played  it  at  college.  No  one  would  believe 
it  ;  but  I  know  he  was  fond  of  music  before  he  got  to  be  a 
minister." 

••  \Ve  are  told  that  Minerva  played  the  flute,  and  thought  well 
of  her  skill,  till  one  day,  when  she  happened  to  catch  a  glimpse 
)f  herself  in  a  pond  over  whose  margin  she  leaned  ;  then  she 
:hrew  her  instrument  into  its  depths  in  disgust  at  the  faces  she 
made,  so  disfiguring  to  her  lovely  mouth,"  said  he,  rather 
pointedly,  studying  the  red  lips,  ripe  as  a  cherry,  which  seemed 
to  him  positively  beautiful ;  they  were  not  the  same  hue  at  all  as 
Sabrina  Bradshaw's,  either — as  different  as  arose  pink  from  the 
brilliant  glow  of  a  pomegranate.  "  Perhaps  you  never  look  in 
your  mirror  while  discoursing  sweet  melody." 

"  I  don't.  I  don't  think  1  have  thought  to  do  so,"  answered 
Perdita  bitterly  ;  "  my  mirror  and  I  are  no  good  friends.  If  I 
was  a  blue-eyed  maid  like  Minerva  or  other  people,  I  might 
love  to  admire  myself  because  I  should  know  I  had  charms  ; 
but  as  it  is,  1  don't  mind. 

She  left  him  and  went  and  sat  down  in  a  corner,  and  looked 
so  beclouded  that  he  wished  he  had  not  started  the  topic.  He 
more  than  guessed  her  thoughts,  although  he  did  not  know  how 
she  had  filled  her  imagination  with  his  youth  and  his  first  love. 
He  was  not  much  astonished,  because  he  had  as  yet  few  pleas 
ant  replies  to  such  speeches  as  he  felt  moved  to  make,  bearing 
on  jovialities,  and  as  he  followed  her  with  his  eyes  he  nearly 
made  up  his  mind  there  was  not,  nor  could  be,  for  him  any 
thing  better  than  commonplaces,  as  safe  ground  for  their  daily 
life — the  very  condition  of  affairs  he  had  wished  to  make  cer 
tain  at  the  first,  and  here  he  was  studying  ways  and  means  to 
overset  all  his  arrangements,  so  nicely  established  and  fixed. 


"/«  Piping  Times  of  Peace,"  251 

Betty  having  ended  her  angelic  teachings,  got  the  great 
Bible,  almost  as  big  as  herself,  and  laid  it  on  her  sister's  knee, 
settling  herself  to  a  satisfied  study  of  the  old  pictures. 

"  What  does  this  one  mean,  Perdita  ?  "  asked  she. 

"  That  is  Jesus,  who  is  riding  into  Jerusalem  on  an  ass's  colt ; 
although  he  made  the  world,  and  everything  in  it,  he  is  riding 
on  that  mean  little  animal." 

Betty  looked  silently  at  the  figures  a  good  while,  avid  then 
she  spoke,  her  words  expressing  the  culmination  of  her  child's 
conception  of  the  strange  event. 

"  Good  morning,  Mr.  Jesus  !  is  that  the  best  horse  you've 
<ot?" 

"  That  sounds  impious,"  said  Perdita  half  to  herself,  "  but  I 
Delieve,  if  Christ  had  met  a  little  girl  like  my  Bettine  that  day, 
and  she  had  said  so  to  him,  he  would  have  smiled  at  her,  and 
patted  her  pretty,  innocent  head." 

"  That  is  a  natural  inference  from  the  teachings  and  conduct 
of  our  great  teacher,"  replied  Mr.  Slaughton,  who  had  for  some 
reason  again  become  her  neighbor.  "  I  fully  agree  with  you." 

"  There  is  no  love  in  my  father's  creed,"  remarked  she  thought 
fully. 

"  Nor  in  your  father's  daughter's  either,"  said  Samuel  signifi 
cantly.  "  If  I  could  only  find  peace  on  earth  and  good  will 
towards  one  man,  I  wouldn't  generalize  much  further." 

It  was  a  strange  speech  for  him  to  make  ;  and  he  uttered  it 
in  swift  words  and  a  strong  voice,  as  if  he  had  not  meant  to  say 
such  a  thing  till  the  very  instant  when  it  passed  his  lips.  She 
seemed  astonished,  both  with  the  outing  and  the  flash  and  flush 
of  the  speaker.  She  rose  immediately ;  any  reply  she  could 
have  made  would  have  sounded  unfriendly.  She  was  utterly 
untrained  in  polite  platitudes,  knowing  no  use  of  language  ex 
cept  to  explain  ideas  or  thoughts. 

"  Put  up  the  Bible,  Betty.  Excuse  me,  sir,  if  I  attend  to  the 
children  ;  it  will  soon  be  time  for  them  to  end  their  frolic." 

"  Will   you   lend   me   your   flute  ? "    asked   the  gentleman, 


252  "In  Piping  Times  of  Peace" 

determined  to  be  agreeable.  "  I  used  to  play  it  years  ago  to 
Chandy's  guitar,  when  we  went  to  serenade  the  girls.  I  shall 
be  glad  to  accompany  your  piano.  I  did  that  sometimes  also, 
in  those  days. 

"  Yes  !  with  Sabrina  Bradshaw  !  "  thought  Perdita.  What 
wonder  that  she  drew  back  and  answered  coldly — so  coldly  that 
it  was  positively  disheartening  to  the  man  who  was  trying  his 
best  to  find  a  place  of  approach  to  a  better  understanding  with 
her. 

"That  is  impossible!  quite  absurd,  in  fact.  Joys  which 
you've  tasted  may  sometimes  return  ;  but  I  am  unable  to  help 
you  recall" any  such  pleasant  memories  of  your  vanished  delights. 
I  never  studied  the  piano.  I  think  I  mentioned  to  you  that 
this  flute  is  my  only  instrument." 

"  Mr.  Slaughton  desired  to  impute  her  reply  to  simple  vex 
ation  at  her  lack  of  skill  in  the  young-ladyish  accomplishment, 
and  made  haste  to  say  : 

"  Oh,  pardon  me  !  you  did  tell  me  so.  I  am  not  sorry  you 
never  undertook  the  piano,  because  here,  in  this  old  house, 
you  will  be  sure  to  find  great  amusement  and  occupation  in 
lessons.  I  shall  immediately  send  up  a  Steinway  for  the  chil 
dren  ;  and  will  you  oblige  me  by  learning  of  their  master  ?  I 
will  take  care  to  select  one  apt  to  teach." 

"  No,  sir.  I  am  too  old  for  that  and  many  other  things.  It 
is  too  late  ;  I  have  no  n;ne." 

"And  yet  you  find  time  to  read  Italian  and  Spanish  every 
day." 

"  How  do  you  know  that !  " 

"  I  told  him,"  exclaimed  Pandora,  who  had  left  the  children 
and  was  listening  open-mouthed  to  their  talk. 

"  You  are  not  angry  with  the  child,  I  hope,"  said  he,  trying 
to  interpret  the  signs  of  unrest  in  her  darkened  face. 

"  Of  course  not,  why  should  I  be  ?  Pandora  is  a  box  of 
mischief,  and  what  she  has  in  her  must  manifest  itself.  The 
Italian  I  indulge  in  is  quite  harmless,  being  only  such  scraps  as 


"In  Piping  Times  of  Peace"  253 

I  have  been  able  to  glean  by  myself;  and  the  time  I  give  it  is 
all  my  ovvnj.being  out  of  housekeeper's  and  governess's  hours." 

"How  very  unkind  it  is  of  you  continually  to  place  me 
before  your  eyes  in  so  mean  a  light,  as  if  you  were  a  paid 
hireling  !  " 

"  So  I  am.  Do  I  not  get  my  wage  in  dirty  bank-notes  every 
month  ?  "  retorted  Perdita,  secretly  amused  by  his  evident  dis 
relish  of  her  very  plain  statement. 

"  It  shall  be  gold  next  time.  You  can't  hinder  my  giving  you 
'  gold  !  gold  \  gold  !  bright  and  yellow,  hard  and  C9ld  ! '  " 

"  I  shall  not  try  ;  it  may  be  true  what  your  witty  author 
teaches,  '  People  with  naught  are  naughty.'  I  never  had  a  gold 
piece  in  my  life.  I  hope  you  will." 

"  And  you  must  send  the  piano,  Uncle  Sam,"  said  Pandora. 
"  I  shall  teach  Aunt  Pudeter  all  I  learn.  She  says  I  do  teach 
her  things  all  the  while." 

"  You  teach  my  sister  !  "  called  out  Malcolm.     "  I  guess  not.'' 

"  Oh,  yes,  I  learn  the  grace  of  patience,"  replied  Perdita, 
smiling,  "and  she  gives  me  fair  chance  to  become  perfect." 

"  Oh,  aunty  ! "  exclaimed  Cicely,  who  had  been  nursing  hei 
resentment  at  the  rebuff  she  had  received,  "  oh,  aunty,  what  a 
funny  color  your  arm  is  ! " 

She  matched  her  own  milk-white  member  beside  the  smooth, 
round  wrist  which  rested  on  the  table. 

"  Grandma  says  you  must  be  part  Creole.  Ugly,  black  things 
Creoles  are — aren't  they,  Uncle  Sam  ?  " 

"  My  sister  is  not  an  ugly  thing ! "  screamed  Malcolm. 
"  You  are  ugly  yourself !  " 

"  Bless  the  boy  ! "  said  Mr.  Slaughton,  patting  the  lad's  head. 
"It  would  be  as  safe  to  attack  a  young  elephant  protected  by 
its  dam  (and  even  tigers  are  afraid  to  do  that),  as  to  speak 
lightly  of  your  sister  in  your  presence." 

"  It  is  good  that  somebody  stands  up  for  her  in  this  house," 
replied  Malcolm,  much  provoked,  and  twisting  his  head  from 
under  his  uncle's  hand.  "  That  Cicely  there  says  she  hates  her." 


254  "/«  Piping  Times  of  Peace  " 

"  I  never  said  any  such  thing,  so  now,"  replied  Cicely,  color 
ing  to  the  roots  of  her  hair,  while  her  blue  eyes  seemed  to 
retreat  into  their  great  sockets,  from  which  caverns  they  flamed 
like  blue  steel.  "  I  love  aunty.  I  wrote  a  pretty  little  letter 
day  to  Sister  Josephine,  and  told  her  how  kind  my  dear 
Aunt  Perdita  was  to  me.  I  think  you  are  real  mean  to  say 
such  a  thing,  Malcolm  Hethwaite  !  I'll  pay  you  off  for  it,  see 
if  I  don't  !  " 

"  It  is  true  all  the  same,"  maintained  the  lad.  "  I  don't  care 
if  you  do  look  as  if  you'd  like  to  tear  my  eyes  out.  I'll  leave 
if  to  Bert  if  he  didn't  hear  you." 

"  Bertram,  come  here  !  "  said  Mr.  Slaughton.  The  perpen 
dicular  line  between  his  eyes  was  very  deep,  and  his  voice  was 
exceeding  clear  and  incisive. 

The  lad  approached  fearlessly  and  seized  his  uncle's  hand. 

"  Well,  here  I  am  !  as  little  Sammy  said  to  old  Eli.  What 
did  you  call  me  for  ?  " 

"  Bertram  !  oh,  say,  Bertram  !  did  I  tell  you  I  hated  aunty  ?  " 
spoke  up  Cicely  in  a  hurry,  trying  to  catch  his  eye  and  give  him 
a  head-shake  of  warning  and  entreaty  not  to  betray  her. 

"  Yes,  you  did !  after  she  gave  you  twenty  words  to  learn, 
when  you  tore  the  lesson-leaf  out  of  your  gografy." 

"  Oh,  what  a  horrid  lie  !     I  never  in  my  life  !  " 

"  Mr.  Slaughton,  permit  me,"  said  Perdita.  The  gentleman 
looked  so  angry  and  disgusted  as  to  appear  quite  ferocious,  and 
she  felt  really  afraid  for  the  girl.  "  Permit  me  ;  this  comes 
clearly  within  my  province  as  governess.  Malcolm,  you  are 
much  to  blame  for  repeating  Cicely's  foolish  words  ;  a  tattler  is 
a  reptile.  I  am  afraid  you  did  not  learn  all  those  long  Proverb 
chapters  to  much  purpose.  I  don't  like  this  bluster  at  all ;  you 
need  not  fight  any  bugbears  for  me.  As  for  you,  Cicely,  your 
liking  or  disliking  will  not  in  the  least  alter  my  course.  The 
lessons  must  be  learned.  When  you  go  upstairs  to-night  you 
may  add  this  lie  to  your  list.  Saturday  we  will  count  them  up, 
and  see  if  you  have  made  any  headway  against  your  favorite 


" In  Piping  Times  of  Peace ."  255 

venial  sin  this  week.  Dismiss  the  subject  now,  and  let  us  fin 
ish  the  everting  with  pleasure,  as  we  began  it.  You  are  enti 
tled  to  all  the  amusement  you  can  get  out  of  the  frolic,  because 
it  is  the  promised  reward  you  had  in  mind  when  you  did  your 
excellent  lessons  this  morning." 

While  her  status  and  sentence  were  in  abeyance,  Cicely  wept. 
Her  tears  fell  from  her  long  flaxen  lashes  upon  her  cheeks,  like 
rain-drops  upon  rose-buds — such  profuse  grief,  such  glowing 
penitence  ! 

"  Perhaps  Mr.  Slaughton  will  take  you  for  his  partner,  while 
i  play  another  reel." 

"  I  will  play  if  I  may  ;  I  shall  be  glad  to  give  you  a  chance  to 
dance,"  replied  he,  much  astonished  at  the  adjustment  of  the 
affair,  but  entirely  disinclined  towards  the  partner  offered  him. 

"  Impossible  !  I  never  danced  a  step  in  my  life !  You 
surely  forget  that  I  am  a  minister's  daughter.  I  really  hope 
you  will  at  last  arrive  at  an  end  of  the  list  of  my  deficiencies," 
fihe  added  in  a  vexed  tone  ;  "  so  many  open  to  you  hourly  that 
t  fear  I  may  after  a  while  be  thought  incompetent  to  the  place. 
Luckily,  there  was  no  mention  made  in  my  engagement  of 
piano  or  dancing." 

"  When  you  vacate  your  present  place,  I  trust  it  will  be 
because  you  feel  called  to  accept  something  you  like  better." 

While  Perdita  was  looking  at  him,  trying  to  get  the  value  of 
his  ambiguous  speech,  she  caught  a  beam  from  his  eyes  which 
filled  her  with  curious  agitations. 

He  had  picked  up  Bettine  as  he  ended,  and  turned  away 
among  the  children,  who  quickly  ranged  into  lines,  all  eager 
for  the  dance. 

"  Thus,"  thought  she,  "  might  he  have  looked  at  Sabrina 
Bradshaw  while  he  painted  the  Ruth ;  such  a  tone  his  voice 
might  have  had  as  they  chatted  together,  kind,  persuasive, 
exceedingly  pleasant." 

"  If  you  please,  Orchestra,"  he  called  out  presently,  "  we  are 
ready." 


256  "In  Piping  Times  of  Peace  " 

He  nodded  across  to  her  and  smiled.  Tall,  symmetrical,  every 
inch  a  man,  his  figure  showed  to  much  advantage  in  his  cu->\ •- 
fitting  suit  of  dark  blue  ;  and  from  her  corner  she  caught  the 
Hash  of  diamonds  he  wore,  which,  sumptuous  as  they  \\vre, 
seemed  a  fit  finish  for  his  attire.  His  cheeks  were  dyed  "  like 
a  peach  in  the  sun,"  his  blue  eyes  were  bright  and  friendly, 
although  the  lids  dropped  a  little  at  the  corners,  as  his  habit 
of  half  closing  them  at  his  work  occasionally  asserted  itself ; 
his  full  lips  showed  through  his  light  brown  mustache  as  red 
and  fresh  as  a  girl's  ;  a  choicely  gentleman  to  be  Idver  to  a 
maid,  a  right  noble  husband  for  a  wife  to  be  proud  of;  and  it  is 
a  truth,  she  heard  him  tell  it :  he  has  found  Sabrina  Bradshaw 
the  only  woman  in  the  world  worth  wooing. 

This  being  the  bitter  ending  of  her  scrutiny,  her  flute 
answered  not  so  well  as  usual  to  her  will,  and  she  had  to 
summon  all  her  pride  to  her  aid  to  keep  back  some  foolish  tears. 

Cicely's  pupils  had  learned  the  reel ;  and  they  danced  with 
young  enjoyment  ;  and  while  Mr.  Slanghton  dos-a-dos'd  and 
whirled  with  his  elfin  partner,  his  thoughts  and  eyes  were  much 
occupied  with  the  flutist.  Her  cheeks  were  no  longer  pale, 
nor  her  facetender  ;  she  had  retreated  from  him  into  the  remote 
distance  in  which  her  life  near  him  held  her  so  far  apart ;  the 
trembling  of  her  small  brown  fingers  was  too  slight  to  attract  his 
notice,  and  the  breath  which  might  have  exhaled  in  sighs, 
being  poured  into  the  old  yellow  flute,  its  fragrance  was  dis 
tilled  there  into  sweet  music. 

Visibly  she  devoted  her  energies  to  her  task — the  payment 
of  a  just  debt  she  owed  her  pupils  for  their  perfect  lessons. 

The  girl  Cicely  gamboled  and  skipped  like  a  brainless  animal. 
As  soon  as  the  danger  of  disgrace  and  punishment  was  lifted, 
she  was  light-headed  as  a  shuttlecock,  and  her  never-ceasing 
laugh  and  chatter  were  bestowed  on  Malcolm,  he  being  the 
tallest  lad  in  the  room.  In  no  manner  mortified  or  out  of 
sorts  with  herself  by  the  exposure  he  had  made  of  her  lies  and 
treachery,  she  did  "not  half  feel  the  boyish  disdain  and  disgust 


' ' In  Piping  Times  of  Peace. "  257 

he  took  no  pains  to  conceal,  nor  understand  its  source ;  while 
he  only  wondered  how  she  could  have  "  the  cheek  "  to  look  at 
him,  "  let  alone  chippering  and  frisking  like  an  old  red  squirrel. 
If  one  of  us  had  been  found  out  in  such  a  piece  of  flam-bam 
gammon,  we  would  have  dropped  through  the  floor,  so  we 
would  !  " 

Malcolm's  sisters  were  true,  genuine' girls,  to  whom  lies  were 
not  venial  sins. 

After  the  reel  was  finished,  Mr.  Slaughton  brought  Bettine 
over  to  her  sister,  and  remained  in  her  neighborhood  while  the 
dancers  fanned  themselves  and  discussed  the  finished  pleasure. 
Cicely's  eyes  had  retreated  into  their  caverns,  and  she  darted 
evil  glances  at  Malcolm,  having  at  last  gotten  such  a  repulse 
from  him  as  she  could  not  help  feeling.  She  had  long  since 
found  out  that  he  considered  it  manly  to  despise  tenderness 
and  affection  (especially  towards  females)  which  sought  expres 
sion  in  caresses,  and  it  would  be  strange  if  he  did  not  look 
down  on  women  and  girls  as  his  inferiors,  if  he  at  all  followed 
his  father's  example.  Poor  Mrs.  Hethwaite  felt  troubled  by 
the  manishness  of  the  budding  lad,  which  occasionally  sent  her 
back  sharp,  saucy  answers  for  her  mild  reproofs  ;  and  showed 
too  plainly  how  little  he  thought  of  the  pious  truisms  she  felt  it 
her  duty  to  deal  out  once  in  a  while,  when,  the  head  of  the 
house  being  absent,  the  fun  got  too  fast  and  furious  even  for 
her  patient  endurance  ;  and  she  complained  about  him  to 
Perdita,  and  said  she  was  afraid  he  was  going  to  turn  out  bad. 
That  was  when  he  spent  a  whole  afternoon  in  burlesqueing  the 
Parson's  behavior  on  examination  day,  although  he  did  his 
part  so  well  that  she  laughed  till  tears  ran  down  her  face,  and 
felt  dreadfully  ashamed  and  penitent  as  soon  as  she  could. 

Perdita  made  light  of  her  fears,  and  told  her  mother  such  a 
good,  honest  fellow  as  Malcolm  must  be  treated  with  forbear 
ance  ;  and  she  added,  "  I  can  wait  till  he  trims  himself  into 
the  right  shape.  I  know  Malcolm  will  be  a  gentleman." 

Whatever  could  have  made  the  young  wife  blush  so,  as  she 


258  " ///  Piping  Times  of  Peace. " 

spoke  ?  and  how  happened  it  that  her  thoughts  travelled  unbid 
den  to  the  breakfast-table,  when  she  had  that  morning  sat  oppo 
site  to  a  fair-haired  man  and  handed  him  his  coffee. 

Now,  Cicely  Vance  was  always  winding  her  arms  around 
people  and  embracing  them  "  so  affecshunut  ; "  especially 
such  as  happened  to  own  something  she  wished  to  possess. 
Cicely's  manners  towards  boys  were  not  pleasant,  she  frisked 
and  giggled  so  much,  and  was  so  vivacious  apropos  to  nothing  ; 
and  when  she  learned  by  experimenting,  that  Malcolm  did  not 
like  kisses,  she  was  always  saying  "  Come,  let's  go  and  kiss 
Mat ; "  and  she  got  some  rude  pushes  and  several  hard  slaps  in 
her  attempts  to  carry  out  her  proposal.  When  "she  snivelled 
over  them,  Perdita  told  her  "  if  she  played  with  boys,  she  must 
take  boys'  play."  Still  undaunted  she  made  a  confidence  to 
Dolly. 

"  I  mean  to  have  Malcolm  for  my  sweetheart ;  he  shall  write 
me  notes  and  give  me  things,  as  Mr.  Leighton  did  Miss  Easygo 
in  our  convent." 

"  Your  sweetheart,"  laughed  Dolly.  "  Well !  he  will  be  a 
queer  one ;  he  don't  think  much  of  girls." 

Teddy,  during  the  reel,  had  been  pouring  over  a  book  he  had 
taken  from  the  shelf,  and  after  it  was  over  he  felt  moved  to  read 
aloud,  not  choosing  any  special  auditor,  but  merely  that  he 
might  treat  his  own  ears  to  a  passage  which  had  forcibly  struck 
him. 

"  There  is  not  a  single  domestic  animal  which  in  some  coun 
try  has  not  drooping  ears  ;  the  drooping  is  owing  to  the  disuse 
of  the  muscles  of  the  ears,  the  animals  not  being  much 
alarmed." 

All  voices  were  hushed  as  soon  as  Teddy  began.  His  con 
tributions  were  eagerly  welcomed,  and  the  children  grouped 
around  him  to  listen.  Cicely  seemed  to  find  the  occasion  she 
longed  for  ;  and  she  took  hold  of  Malcolm's  auricles,  which 
were,  to  say  truth,  somewhat  bent  forward  from  the  constant 
pressure  of  his  cap,  and  of  a  sue  to  denote  generosity. 


"/#  Piping  Times  of  Peace"  259 

"  I  say,  Mat,  what  an  easy  life  your  grandpas  must  have 
led  to  give  you  such  flappets  as  these." 

Mr.  Slaughton  looked  at  Perdita,  who  also  looked  at  him. 
This  interchange  of  glances  seemed  quite  involuntary,  and  they 
both  smiled  with  the  same  thought,  which  the  young  wife  uttered 
aloud  : 

"  Oh,  yes,  indeed ;  she  has  weapons  offensive  and  defensive." 

When  the  fete  was  over,  the  parsonage  folks  gone,  and  the 
Vances  on  their  way  upstairs,  Mr.  Slaughton  said  eagerly  to 
Perdita,  who  was  the  last  of  the  group,  and  laden  with  all  the 
odds  and  ends  the  others  had  left  : 

"  I  beg  you  will  do  me  a  favor." 

"  A  favor  !  that  sounds  odd.  Perhaps  I  shall  not  dare  under 
take  anything  so  much  out  of  my  line  ;  duties  are  what  I  am 
accustomed  to  hear  about  and  do.  I  shall  be  glad  to  have  you 
name  the  favor,  though." 

She  speered  at  him  over  her  shoulder.  She  could  scarcely  be 
expected  to  turn  and  face  him  with  all  those  books  and  things  on 
her  arm.  She  looked  alert  and  suspicious,  entirely  on  her  guard. 

"  Will  you  let  me  carry  that  trash  up-stairs  for  you  ?  " 

"  Certainly  not.  Whatever  you  desire  to  have  well  done, 
do  yourself;  and  I  do  not  want  the  trash,  as  you  call  it,  scat 
tered  all  over  the  floor.  If  that  is  the  favor " 

"  But  it  isn't.  My  natural  politeness  dictated  the  offer  of 
help.  I  dare  say  I  should  have  spilled  some  of  the  bundles." 

"  I  think  it  more  than  probable,  so  unaccustomed  to  such 
chivalric  service." 

"  I  can  be  useful,  as  I  will  prove,  if  you  will  not  disdain  my 
assistance.  It  will  give  me  pleasure,  too." 

"You  remind  me  of  Cicely,  your  niece.  'Auntie,'  said  she, 
"  may  I  carry  your  thimble,  or  your  scissors  ;  I  do  want  to  help 
you  so  much  ?  " 

As  she  unconsciously  reproduced  in  perfection  the  child's 
voice  and  "so  affecshunut"  manner,  Mr.  Slaughton  writhed 
in  disgust. 


2(30  "In  Piping  Times  of  Peace  " 

"  I  will  never  offer  you  my  aid  again,"  said  he  pettishly. 

"And  how  about  the  favor?  Please  don't  be  long,  or  my 
arms  will  be  tired  and  I  shall  drop  these  books." 

"  I  want  you  to  sit  no  more  evenings  in  the  school-room, 
but  come  down  to  this  bower,  which  you  have  shaded." 

"  But  the  school-room  is  the  proper  place  for  the  governess 
— among  her  charges  ;  my  labor  is  not  ended  till  the  children 
are  in  bed." 

"  Get  them  off  at  seven,  then,  for  I  will  have  you  here." 

"  You  will !  I  understood  it  was  a  favor  you  asked." 

"  I  have  thought  better  of  it.     I  demand  my  right." 

"  Am  I  to  conclude  that  you  issue  an  order  for  my  appear 
ance  ?  " 

"  Yes  ;  I  order  you  to  come  ! " 

"  Oh,  very  well,  sir.  I  am  trained  dutifully  to  obey  orders 
What  time  does  your  honor  appoint  for  my  attendance  ?  " 

"  Sharp  seven — that  is,  directly  after  tea,  you  shall  come 
armed  and  equipped  with  work-basket,  knitting,  crocheting, 
or  whatever  woman's  occupation  you  give  your  evenings  to." 

"  I  mostly  read  of  evenings." 

"  Very  well ;  we  will  have  books.  Your  frolic  was  a  marked 
success.  I  congratulate  you.  By  the  way,  you  must  bid  me 
good-morning  as  well  as  good-night.  I  am  going  to  Toptown 
on  the  early  train." 

"  At  six  o'clock  ?  " 

"Yes.  Pray  don't  disturb  the  house  for  me.  I  shall  get  a 
cup  of  coffee  at  the  depot." 

"  Indeed,  sir,  that  is  not  my  rendering  of  my  housekeeper's 
part.  I  could  not  feel  satisfied  with  myself  the  whole  day,  if 
I,  out  of  laziness,  permitted  the  house-master  to  depart  fasting 
on  a  journey.  Will  it  please  you  to  be  down  by  half-past  five  ?  " 

Mr.  Slaughton  whistled  a  good  deal  in  a  very  soft,  absent 
way,  while  he  was  undressing ;  but  his  old  couplet  found  no 
place  among  the  airs  he  was  rendering,  and  the  eyes  he  was 
thinking  of  certainly  were  not  Sabrina's. 


Perdita  Reads  Longfellow.  261 

CHAPTER  XXXV. 

PERDITA   READS    LONGFELLOW. 

|MBER  coffee,  corned-beef  hash  (a  weak 
ness  of  Sam's),  hot  cakes,  and  wafer 
potatoes !  Well,  if  a  fellow  wants  a 
better  spread  than  this,"  said  Mr.  Slaugh- 
ton,  sitting  down  at  his  table,  "  I  only 
hope  he  may  get  it,  that's  all." 

Timbuctoo  was  nowhere  in  his  calcula 
tions  while  he  discussed  the  meal  with 
healthy  appetite ;  the  tigers  in  their  native  jungles  were  not  in 
the  least  prospective  danger.  His  thoughts  seemed  running  a 
good  deal  on  music,  and  he  asked  little  Betty,  who  sat  close  to 
her  sister,  watching  him  out  of  her  elfin  eyes,  if  she  would  not 
like  to  have  a  harp,  and  a  guitar,  and  a  lute,  and  a  dulcimer, 
when  she  grew  up  ;  and  if  she  would  sing  hymns  and  psalms 
and  spiritual  songs,  and  chant  among  the  pious  maidens ;  and 
he  quoted  Longfellow : 

"  He  goes  on  Sunday  to  the  church, 
And  sits  among  his  boys ; 
He  hears  the  parson  pray  and  preach  ; 
He  hears  his  daughter's  voice 
Singing  in  the  village  choir, 
And  it  makes  his  heart  rejoice." 

He  did  not  say  much  to  Perdita,  although  he  glanced  often 
at  her  with  a  pleased,  satisfied  face  ;  and  when  he  took  leave 
of  her,  bidding  her  good-morning  at  the  door,  he  held  her  .hand 
one  instant  longer  than  was  necessary,  and  he  looked  at  her 
ripe  lips,  before  he  picked  up  Bettine  for  a  good-by  kiss. 

Perdita  was  getting  used  to  these  greetings  and  adieux,  these 


262  Perdita  Reads  Longfellow. 

morning  salutations  and  evening  "  pleasant  dreams,"  which 
had  seemed  such  strange  fashions  and  unnecessary  compliments 
at  first.  Chandy  had  been  so  profuse  of  them,  and  so  graceful 
and  kind  ;  he  had  given  her  so  many  bows  and  pretty  speeches, 
and  Mr.  Slaughton  never  omitted  polite  forms,  even  when  most 
indifferent  and  chilly.  Perdita  liked  it ;  she  wished  she  had 
been  brought  up  where  such  observances  were  the  common 
places  of  life.  The  morning  and  evening  kisses  which  the  son 
gave  his  old  mother  looked  seemly.  As  she  witnessed  them 
sometimes,  she  wondered  how  Teddy  or  Malcolm  would  look 
kissing  their  mother  ;  how  she  should  feel  kissing  her  father. 
It  had  not  once  occurred  to  her  that  Mr.  Slaughton  could 
dream  of  touching  even  her  cheek,  easy  and  natural  as  the 
caress  seemed  to  come  from  him  to  the  dame,  or  Bettine,  01 
Pandora  ;  that  was  an  outside  impossibility — not  cognizable — 
to  her,  at  least. 

The  atmosphere  of  friendliness  the  traveller  left  behind  him 
seemed  to  envelop  the  slender  young  housekeeper  after  he 
was  gone,  and  she  found  herself  repeating  the  stanza  he  had 
recited  ;  and  she  went  and  got  down  the  book  and  read  the 
whole  story,  and  then  she  went  on  to  "  The  Wreck  of  the 
Hesperus,"  and  "The  Luck  of  Edenhall,"  and  she  had  a 
thoroughly  good  time  with  the  poems  till  she  came  to  "  Annie 
of  Tharaw. 

"  Annie  of  Tharaw,  my  true  love  of  old, 
She  is  my  life,  and  my  goods  and  my  gold. 
Annie  of  Tharaw,  my  light  and  my  sun, 
The  threads  of  our  two  lives  are  woven  in  one." 

She  turned  to  the  fly-leaf  and  found  on  it  "Samuel  Slaugh 
ton."  She  shut  the  volume  and  laid  it  back  among  its  com 
peers.  There  were  pencil-marks  drawn  around  the  lines,  and 
so  often  had  the  verses  been  read  that  the  leaves  parted  there 
of  themselves,  and  Annie  of  Tharaw  must  be  a  living  woman  to 
the  person  who  loved  to  con  her  praises  ;  therefore,  Annie  of 


Perdita  Reads  Longfellow.  263 

Tharaw  should  read  Sabrina  Bradshaw.  She  turned  from  the 
room  with  a  pettishness  quite  unusual  to  her.  It  seemed  hard 
to  be  every  hour  reminded  of  that  "  only  one  ; "  to  find  in 
every  step  of  her  new  path  traces  of  the  idolatry  which  had 
been — nay,  was  still  hers. 

Perdita  sat  among  the  children  that  day  with  a  very  still  face. 
Two  or  three  times  she  caught  herself  speaking  impatiently. 
Cicely  Vance  fretted  and  disgusted  her,  Pandora  exhausted  her 
endurance,  and  Bertram's  nuinerousness  provoked  her  almost 
beyond  bearing.  She  was  glad  when  the  lessons  were  over 
and  she  could  get  out  in  the  fresh  air,  and  taking  Betty  with 
her,  she  tried  to  race  and  jump  and  skip  into  good  temper. 
The  dog  Sam  gazed  at  her  with  his  wistful  look  while  she  sat 
on  a  great  rock  deeply  thinking.  Even  lie  was  able  to  find  a 
lack  in  her  face  ;  and  when  she  put  her  hand  on  his  head  and 
smiled,  he  leaped  up  with  a  joyful  bark  and  whine  which 
besought  her  to  be  merry. 

It  was  dark  night  when  Mr.   Slaughton  returned,   and  she 
heard  the  noise  and  fracas  of  men    and  horses  in  the    yard 
and  pretty  soon  six  stout  fellows  came  slowly  up  the  steps  with 
a  parlor  grand  Steinway  among  them,  under  whose  weight  they 
staggered,  strong  as  they  were. 

They  set  it  up  in  the  drawing-room,  and  the  tuner  who  ac 
companied  them,  bringing  his  instruments  in  a  box,  went  to 
work  on  the  strings,  which  he  tortured  and  fretted  as  long  as 
he  thought  good,  and  then  he  sat  down  and  played  a  grand 
sonata  with  great  finish  and  style.  A  day  or  two  afterwards  a 
master  appeared,  and  the  young  ones  set  to  work  in  such  real 
earnest  that  the  poor  piano  was  vexed  and  tormented  into 
squalls  and  wailing  all  hours  of  the  day  by  one  or  another  of 
them. 


264     "Commend  a  Wife,  but  Remain  a  Bachelor." 

CHAPTER   XXXVI. 
"COMMEND  A  WIFE,  BUT  REMAIN  A  BACHELOR." 

|NE  morning,  not  long  after  the  beginning 
of  the  musical  era  in  the  Sluughton 
family,  the  house-master  happened  to  be 
passing  through  the  hall,  when  he  lu-;ud 
the  sound  of  the  piano,  and  he  opened  the 
drawing  room  door  and  looked  in  to 
who  was  so  industriously  practicing.  To 
his  great  surprise  and  delight,  it  proved 
to  be  Perdita.  She  had  given  him  no  opportunity  to  speak  to 
her  on  the  subject  since  the  evening  of  the  fete  in  the  library, 
and  he  felt  afraid  she  did  not  intend  to  avail  herself  of  his 
offer;  and  as  he  was  conscious  of  having  blundered  so  dread 
fully  on  that  occasion,  he  hesitated  to  disturb  the  fair  under 
standing  he  had  established  in  the  matter  of  the  evenings,  which 
were  anything  but  disagreeable  thus  far.  The  work-basket  had 
been  brought  down,  a  little  talking  had  been  done,  and  some 
loud  reading.  He  had  recited  <;  Cuinnor  Hall,"  and  got  in 
return  Mrs.  Piozzi's  "Three  Warnings,"  smiling  secretly  at  the 
odd  selection.  There  had  been  a  few  words  said,  also,  which 
he  could  not  comprehend.  While  he  was  sitting  with  his  hand 
to  his  head,  thinking  what  short  poem  he  could  recite  next, 
Perdita  offered  him  a  suggestion. 

••  Why  not  '  Annie  of  Tharaw,'  since  you  like  it  so  much  ?  " 
Her  scornful  air   and  aggressive  look   were  patent.      Was 
it  that  she  despised  the  verses  and  his  taste  ?     It  was  true  he 
had  aliking  for  the  pretty  trifle  ;  but  how  had  she  found  it  out  ?  " 
He  did  not  render  it,  nor  anything  else,  that  evening,  con 
fining  himself  to  a  copy  of  Beattie's  "  Minstrel "    he  fetched 
without  invitation  from  the  shelves. 


"Commend  a  Wife,  but  Remain  a  Bachelor"    26$ 

In  general,  however,  he  counted  the  sittings  a  gain ;  and 
there  was  enough  in  every  one  of  them  to  keep  him  thinking 
through  -the  days,  and  to  cause  him  to  look  forward  to  his 
easy-chair  in  the  cosy  room,  with  its  hearth-fire  and  student 
lamp,  and  a  sight  of  the  dark,  slender  young  creature  who 
came  in  such  a  proud,  shy  way,  and  sat  quietly  down  in  the 
place  he  offered  her  with  scrupulous  politeness.  Sometimes 
she  sewed  on  and  on  without  looking  up  at  him  ;  and  as  the 
light  streamed  over  her  bent  head,  over  her  small  hands,  and 
glistened  sharply  on  the  bright  needle  she  plied  so  swiftly,  he 
had  opportunities  in  plenty  to  study  her  face  and  figure  in  re 
pose  or  at  least,  in  stillness.  He  knew  the  length  of  her  eye 
lashes  and  their  shadowy  curling,  and  the  arch  of  her  brows, 
and  all  the  lines  of  cheek  and  lips  and  chin  ;  and  that  when 
she  did  look  up  at  him  she  would  give  him  glances  of  wondrous 
radiance  ;  and  that  if  she  should  smile,  her  sweet,  rosy  mouth 
would  be  arch  and  winsome,  and  "her  large  black  eyes,  so 
blackly  fringed,"  have  witchery  in  them  sudden  and  delightful. 

Mr.  Slaughton  all  this  while  was  standing  by  the  door  of  his 
drawing-room,  and  before  he  had  been  there  a  second  he  dis 
covered  that  the  student  was  weeping  bitterly ;  while  her 
fingers  were  busy  among  the  keys,  tears  coursed  in  torrents 
dawn  her  cheeks,  dropping  unheeded,  while  she  counted  in  a 
broken  voice  interrupted  with  sobs,  "  One,  two,  three  ;  one, 
two,  three." 

"  I  never  can  do  it ;  never  ! "  she  exclaimed,  dropping  her 
hands  helplessly  into  her  lap.  It  is  useless.  I  am  too  old, 
too  dull.  I  have  no  talent,  no  taste.  I'm  a  poor  nobody  ! " 

Now,  why  couldn't  the  gentleman  have  gone  quietly  away, 
and  left  her  to  battle  it  out  with  herself?  If  he  had,  she 
would  have  presently  wiped  her  eyes,  and  possibly  her  nose, 
and  set  at  work  again  as  resolute  as  ever.  A  woman  would 
have  had  tact  enough  to  know  that  words,  either  of  pity  or  rail- 
ery,  were  not  in  place.  This  man  felt  moved  to  teaze  and 
essay  a  jest.  Curious  creatures  these  men  are,  to  be  sure  1 
12 


266     "Commend a  Wife,  but  Remain  a  Bachelor  " 

"  Excuse  me,"  said  Mr.  Slaughton  advancing,  "  but  I  never 
saw  a  piano  go  by  water  before  ;  is  it  an  improvement  ?  " 

The  girl  sprang  up  bla/ing  with  anger.  "  How  dare  you  spy 
on  my  actions  ?  Let  me  pass." 

"  Spy  !  me  a  spy  !  Take  back  that  unwholesome  word,  I  pray 
you,"  he  replied,  striving  to  smile,  but  managing  only  the 
points  of  his  lips,  while  his  face  turned  white  as  death.  "  I 
happened  to  look  in.  I  wish  now  that  I  had  looked  out." 

"  You  hunt  out  my  defects  ;  you  ask  questions  to  bring  them 
into  notice.  Can  I  dance  ?  can  I  play  ?  when  you  know  I 
cannot  do  either.  You  just  do  it  on  purpose,  so  that  you  can 
curl  your  scornful  lips  and  look  contemptuous.  You  are  glad 
to  find  me  lacking  where  others  excel,  i  have  seen  it  a 
thousand  times ;  I  have  felt  it  as  keenly  as  you  could  desire. 
Not  that  it  is  of  the  least  consequence  what  you  think  of  me 
outside  of  my  engagement." 

Mr.  Slaughton  listened  to  this  violent  and  contradictory 
statement  in  amazed  silence,  and  he  did  not  make  an  effort  to 
stay  her ;  did  not  so  much  as  lift  a  hand,  when  she  burst  into 
a  fresh  passion  of  tears,  and  dashed  past  him,  flying  up  the 
stairs,  and  banging  the  door  with  resounding  clamor,  as  she 
hid  herself  in  her  own  room. 

He  stroked  his  long  beard  a  good  while  in  a  very  brown  study, 
after  he  mounted  to  his  studio — a  knight  of  most  rueful  counte 
nance.  He  failed  to  find  himself  guilty  of  the  accusations  his  wife 
had  hurled  at  him  ;  and  severe  and  provoking  as  they  were, 
and  violent  and  unjust  as  she  had  been,  he  dwelt  more  on  the 
vivid  beauty  of  her  passion  than  its  wickedness  ;  on  the  grace 
and  abandon  of  her  hasty  flight  rather  than  her  furious  scorn 
in  going  ;  and  he  palliated  her  conduct  with  many  excuses. 

"  Such  an  impulsive  creature  !  So  proud  !  so  hardly  tried  ! 
What  wonder  that  she  lost  patience  ?  and  how  clumsy  of  me  to 
intrude  my  folly  so  inopportunely  ! "  and  then  he  went  on 
thinking  of  her  again,  wishing  vain  wishes  ;  he  felt  them  vainer 
than  ever  and  more  hopeless. 


"After  the  Harvest,  Golden  Sheaves"  267 

When  they  met  at  dinner,  he  made  haste  to  place  her  chair, 
and  he  studied  eagerly  her  face,  although  he  did  not  speak 
to  her.  Not  but  he  would  gladly  have  said  something  pleasant, 
only  he  did  not  know  how.  He  seemed  dimly  to  guess  that 
the  key  to  the  whole  might  be  deep  and  bitter  mortification 
that  he  should  have  surprised  her  trying  secretly  and  trying 
vainly  to  acquire  an  accomplishment  in  which  others  excelled. 

She  was  composed  and  quiet.  She  answered  the  dame's 
remarks  respectfully,  she  conversed  a  little  with  the  children, 
and  she  poured  the  usual  fondness  into  Betty's  eyes  ;  but  she 
seemed  either  unconscious  of  or  indifferent  to  his  neighbor 
hood. 


CHAPTER  XXXVII. 
"AFTER  THE  HARVEST,  GOLDEN  SHEAVES." 


[IGHT  had  drawn  her  sable  curtains  round, 
and  the  house-master  was  still  in  his 
library. 

Outwardly,  he  appeared  quite  easy 
and  comfortable,  with  his  cigar  in  his 
fingers,  and  his  head  reposing  on  the  soft 
cushions  of  his  easy-chair — in  fact,  he 
had  arranged  himself  into  a  picture  of  lux- 

ious  dole e  far  niente  ;  but  the  seeming  was  not  real,  for  inwardly 
he  was  experiencing  sundry  misgivings  and  much  trepidation  of 
spirit. 

He  had  chosen  a  position  fronting  the  door,  and  was  waiting 
to  ascertain  whether  or  no  Perdita  would   present   herself  ac- 


268  "After  the  Harvest,  Golden  Sheaves:' 

cording  to  her  new  habit.  He  had  not  to  wait  long,  for  at  the 
accustomed  time  she  came  and  stood  on  the  threshold. 

"  Shall  1  come  in,  sir  ?     Or  do  you  choose  to  be  alone  ?  " 

Her  long,  slender  neck  bent  in  a  graceful  curve  as  she  look 
ed  down  at  her  hands,  holding  her  work-basket,  and  a  brilliant 
crimson  went  creeping  and  creeping  up  in  her  face  till  it  was 
all  aglow  ;  lips,  cheeks,  and  forehead — even  her  pretty  ears, 
were  dyed  celestial  rosy  red." 

"  Come  in,  I  beg  of  you  !  wherefore  not  ?  "  cried  he,  spring 
ing  to  his  feet  with  a  hasty  earnestness,  and  bow  of  welcome. 

"I  did  not  know.  I  have  been  hesitating,  but  as  I  recieved 
no  counter  order,  I  took  it  for  granted  that  the  one  already 
issued  still  held  its  force,  and  so  1  am  here.  I  have  behaved 
very  badly ;  I  cannot  even  yet  understand  how  I  could  so  far 
forget  my  housekeeper's  station  as  to  fly  in  the  face  of  my 
employer  with  such  abominable  violence.  I  could  bite  my 
tongue  out  for  presuming  to  utter  such  rude  nonsense  in  your 
hearing.  I  beg  you  to  forget  it;  I  bhall  endeavor  to  keep 
proper  bounds  in  future." 

As  he  remained  silent,  not  liking — I  might  almost  say  not 
daring  to  speak  some  words  which  rose  to  his  lips,  and  trying 
to  choose  such  as  might  suit  her  mood,  she  added : 

"  I  dare  say  I  have  overrated  the  importance  of  my  folly 
to  you.  Very  likely  you  have  already  let  it  pass  from  your 
mind  as  of  no  consequence,  but  even  in  that  case,  I  consider 
it  due  to  myself  to  speak  my  apology  in  your  hearing." 

"  Pray  be  seated,  I  ought  to  have  known  better  than  to  make 
absurd  jokes,  interrupting  your  work  and  disturbing  you  ;  I'm 
very  sorry,  I'm  sure." 

She  accepted  the  chair  he  was  holding  for  her  near  the  table  ; 
and  she  watched  his  fingers  which  eagerly  adjusted  the  lamp  to 
her  convenience. 

"  Sorry  !  not  at  all.  You  have  a  right  to  say  what  you  please, 
of  course." 

"Rights  are  difficult  to  adjust  between  you  and  me,"  said 


"After  the  Harvest,  Golden  Sheaves."  269 

he  in  a  hurried  voice;  "  and  apologies  are  breath  wasted,  since 
it  is  not  possible  that  they  can  commence  at  a  proper  beginning. 
Pray  let  them  cease  where  they  may  end — that  is,  just  here. 
What  book  shall  we  have  to-night  ?  " 

She  looked  with  a  glance  of  clear,  thoughtful  inquiry  in  his 
face  while  he  was  speaking.  When  he  ceased,  she  dropped 
her  eyes  upon  her  work. 

"  I  shall  listen  with  attention  to  whatever  it  pleases  you  to 
select,"  she  replied,  and  began  putting  rapid  stitches  into  a 
bunch  of  flossy  roses  and  buds  which  grew  in  graceful  stems 
beneath  her  skillful  fingers. 

Mr.  Slaughton  felt  exceedingly  awkward  and  embarrassed. 
He  hunted  for  smooth  topics  of  easy-flowing  talk,  and  found 
none.  On  previous  occasions  they  had  offered  in  plenty  ;  and 
though  never  garrulous  or  playful,  as  he  often  saw  her  among 
the  children,  Perdita  had  conversed  pleasantly.  But  this 
evening  she  was  so  reserved,  so  proud  in  her  sensitive  humility, 
and  dropped  so  quickly  with  monosyllables  such  themes  as  he 
started,  that  they  fell  flat  and  insipid. 

Finally,  in  sheer  desperation,  he  launched  into  his  projected 
Thanksgiving  festivities,  to  which  she  listened  with  curious  at 
tention.  Her  first  impulse  was  to  refuse  utterly  to  show  herself 
to  her  father  at  the  head  of  the  table,  where  it  had  pleased 
him  to  place  her  without  asking  if  it  would  please  her,  not 
caring  at  all  whether  she  wept  or  smiled,  was  happy  or 
wretched. 

The  Parson  had  never  taken  a  meal  in  the  mansion  house, 
or  invited  either  his  daughter  or  the  Slaughtons  to  partake  of 
any  hospitalities.  Of  that  she  thought  no  wonder,  knowing 
well  the  pride  and  poverty  which  jostled  and  disputed  in  the 
old  home,  and  she  secretly  smiled  as  she  remembered  the  fish 
cakes  and  johnny-cakes  and  pop-robins  and  poor-man's  pud 
dings,  and  tried  to  fancy  Mr.  Slaughton  tasting  the  dainties 
she  had  fed  on  in  those  days  so  distant  now. 

Her  second  resolve  was  to  fall  in  with  the  suggestion  offered 


270          "After  the  Harvest,  Golden  Sheaves." 

her,  which  might  open  a  road  for  the  furtherance  of  her  desires 
concerning  her  brothers.  The  friends  and  influence  of  her  hus 
band  were  a  part  of  the  price  she  had  in  mind  wlu-n  she  let  her 
self  be  disposed  of;  and  would  it  not  be  sheer  folly  to  throw 
any  obstacles  in  the  path  of  a  better  acquaintance  between  him 
and  her  father  ? 

A  certain  elation,  also,  crept  in  among  her  other  reflections, 
that  she  had  it  in  her  power  to  show  her  severe  parent  what 
good  times  were  to  be  had  outside  his  rule  and  authority,  and 
to  make  him  see  and  understand  that  she,  Perdita,  could  and 
would  devise  and  carry  them  out  and  mingle  in  them — she,  who 
had  never  been  allowed  any  amusements,  would  have  sports 
and  games  after  the  Thanksgiving  dinner.  A  vision  of  a  reel 
presented  itself,  and  she  enjoyed  prospectively  the  horror  and 
amazement  such  a  vain  and  sinful  proceeding  would  call  out  all 
over  the  Parson,  as  rise  the  quills  upon  the  fretful  porcupine. 

While  Mr.  Slaughton  talked  she  went  farther,  and  planned  a 
new  cap  for  her  mother,  on  which  she  meant  to  plait  a  nice 
frill  and  tie  some  knots  of  ribbon.  Only  a  bit  of  a  cap — a 
mere  head-dress,  in  fact,  quiet  and  simple — because  it  would  be 
a  shame  to  cover  or  hide  the  gray  hair,  fine  as  silk,  which  had 
been  matched  to  a  raven's  wing  when  she  was  pretty  Violet 
Wemple,  and  had  a  young  minister  for  a  lover.  And  she  hoped 
that  Dame  Slaughton  would  be  agreeable,  and  that  her  mother 
would  hold  her  own  with  her,  and  not  let  herself  be  quenched 
and  sat  upon.  And  there  was  Dolly.  Dolly  had  a  new  gown  ; 
the  chicken-money  and  rag-money  had  bought  it.  Dolly  would 
look  fresh  and  pretty  ;  but  Dolly  was  quite  apt  to  lip  over  tum 
blers  and  spill  things  at  table.  Oh,  dear  !  what  if  she  should 
spoil  the  Thanksgiving  cloth  with  one  of  her  gaucheries  ?  Billy 
had  an  awful  appetite  ;  he  didn't  seem  to  know  when  he  had 
eaten  enough  of  turkey  or  mince-pie.  What  if  Mr.  Slaughton 
should  think  him  a  pig  or  a  glutioi  ?  She  n  membered  fortu 
nately  that  the  house-master  was  a  healthy  eater  himself;  he 
had  been  a  boy  ;  he  might  make  allowances. 


"Betty  is  a  Lady,  and  Wears  a  Gold  Ring"     2/1 

She  had  time  to  pass  her  whole  family  in  review,  looking  at 
them  through  Slaughton  eyes,  before  her  husband  asked  her  to 
come  out  and  inspect  the  stores  he  had  brought  from  Toptown 
and  hidden  in  the  barn. 

She  volunteered  to  carry  the  invitations,  because,  now  that 
she  had  really  entertained  the  notion  of  the  feast,  the  prospect 
of  having  her  mother  to  dine  off  sumptuous  fare,  with  plenty 
and  to  spare — a  meal  which  had  cost  her  no  labor,  and  which 
she  would  not  have  to  count  the  expense  of,  nor  clear  away 
afterwards,  began  to  be  pleasing. 

The  excellent  Parson  might  turn  stubborn  and  sour  at  sight 
of  the  good  clothes  and  general  prosperous  handsomeness  of 
her  husband,  and  "bow-wow"  a  surly  refusal  to  his  pleasant 
words  ;  therefore  Perdita  arranged  to  go  herself,  and  she  gave 
considerable  thought  to  her  errand  and  its  probable  results,  as 
she  walked  briskly  down  the  hill  to  the  old  homestead. 


CHAPTER  XXXVIII. 
"BETTY  is  A  LADY,  AND  WEARS  A  GOLD  RING." 


PPORTUNITY  served  her  to  lay  open 
her  business  to  her  mother  and  the  others 
before  the  lord  and  law-giver  came  down 
stairs,  and  she  felt  quite  pitiful  to  notice 
how  eagerly  the  poor  woman  snatched  at 
the  promised  pleasure,  and  how  anxiously 
she  watched  her  husband's  face  while  his 
daughter  talked  to  him,  trying  to  divine 

his  mood.     Would  he  bark  and  bite,  or  only  softly  growl  ? 

And  when  he  began  to  work  his  horny  hands,  and  scowl,  and 


272     "Betty  is  a  Lady,  and  Wears  a  Gold  Ring." 

make  his  habitual  grimaces,  and,  opening  his  mouth  with  the 
impulse  which  always  impelled  him  to  say  "  No,"  to  any  project 
or  proposal,  began  to  bark,  "I  don't  think  it  will  be  condu 
cive,"  the  poor  old  wife's  face  fell  drearily,  and  she  wiped  her 
watery  eyes  on  the  corner  of  her  apron. 

Dolly  burst  into  tears  ;  the  invitation  had  elated  her  so  much, 
and  the  sudden  dash  of  disappointment  was  so  very  overwhelm 
ing,  she  could  not  help  it. 

"  What  is  that  girl  crying  for?"  demanded  the  father  in  his 
biggest  voice. 

"  She's  afraid  she  can't  go,"  answered  Mrs.  Hethwaite,  sup- 
plicatingly.  "  Poor  child  !  she  has  so  little  pleasure." 

"  Pleasure  !  who  does  have  pleasure  ?  I  bade  adieu  to  all 
that  years  ago  !  If  she  is  so  carnal-minded  as  to  be  all  agog 
over  a  turkey,  and  so  silly  as  to  blubber,  she  had  better  stay  at 
home ;  and  she  will  if  I  see  any  more  of  her  tantrums.  Shut 
up  directly,  or  I'll  give  you  something  to  cry  for  !  " 

Dolly  choked  in  her  sobs,  and  instantly  looked  rigid  and 
stony.  The  parsonage  young  folks  had  been  early  taught  to 
keep  tears  out  of  sight,  it  being  a  part  of  the  paternal  disci 
pline  to  forbid  their  gush,  and  to  whip  them  till  they  stopped 
crying,  when  enduring  the  chastising  earned  by  their  youthful 
slips. 

I  sometimes  wonder  if  parents  ever  realize  what  refined 
cruelty  they  practice  when  they  hurt  their  children,  and  forbid 
them  the  natural  expression  of  suffering  !  Even  a  dog  has  a 
right  to  howl  when  he  is  beaten.  I  don't  believe  any  of  us  will 
ever  forget  the  great  lump  of  agony  in  the  poor  throat  when 
the  sobs  and  cries,  which  would  have  been  such  a  relief,  were 
forcibly  stifled. 

"  Don't  put  yourself  out  any  to  come,  father,"  said  Perdita. 
"  It  is  not  my  idea,  you  know.  /  should  never  have  thought 
of  asking  you  if  Mr.  Slaughton  had  not  desired  me  ;  in  fact,  I 
quite  dread  going  through  such  a  dinner.  I  shall  have  to  work 
very  hard ;  and  as  I  never  had  any  chance  to  learn  how  to  be 


" Betty  is  a  Lady,  and  Wears  a  Gold  Ring"     273 

festive  or  convivial,  I  dare  say  I  shall  make  a  wretched  mess  of 
it." 

"  I  see  no  good  reason  why  you  should  not  be  fully  equal  to 
your  place,  Mrs.  Slaughton.  1  live  in  an  old  house  and  I  wear 
poor  garments — such  is  the  will  of  the  Lord  ;  but  I  have 
brought  up  my  children  properly.  YQU  will  do  well  to  remem 
ber,  in  the  station  to  which  it  has  pleased  God  to  call  you,  that 
your  father  is  a  gentleman." 

"  Yes,  sir  ;  and  that  my  mother  is  a  lady,  which  seems  to  me 
of  vastly  more  consequence.  My  Aunt  Prudence  has  often 
told  me  that  Violet  Wemple  was  very  pretty  and  much  admired. 
It  must  be  so,  or  you  would  not  have  selected  her." 

Perdita  laid  her  hand  softly  on  her  mother,  and  as  the  worn 
and  weary  woman  felt  the  electric  thrill  of  the  light  touch,  she 
straightened  her  bent  shoulders,  and  her  faded  eyes  seemed  to 
gather  blackness  as  she  lifted  them  to  her  daughter's  face,  and 
her  hollow  cheeks  were  dyed  with  crimson,  so  that  the  likeness 
between  the  fresh  young  beauty  and  the  old  wife  was  almost 
painfully  clear  and  strong. 

The  Parson  felt  it,  as  well  as  the  antagonism  to  him  which 
his  daughter  took  no  pains  to  hide,  with  a  sort  of  wonder.  It 
was  only  one  instant ;  before  he  had  time  to  wither  his  wife  with 
a  glance  he  was  accustomed  to  use  for  that  purpose,  she  had 
stooped  again  to  her  habitual  patient  endurance,  and  he  scarce 
ly  heard  her  murmur  :  "  So  vain  and  sinful ;  so  vain  and  sinful." 

"  Your  Aunt  Prudence  might  better  have  been  saying  her 
prayers  ;  but,  being  a  woman,  she  must  act  out  what  was  in 
her,  I  suppose.  It  is  vain  to  expect  '  grapes  of  thorns,  or  figs 
of  thistles.'  You  may  present  my  thanks  to  Mr.  Slaughton  ;  I 
intend  to  be  present  at  the  dinner.  Your  mother  will  probably 
accompany  me  ;  as  to  the  others,  their  going  or  staying  will 
depend  entirely  upon  their  behavior  during  the  intermediate 
time." 

As  he   scowled  ominously  on   Dolly,  she  immediately  made 
haste  to  fetch  the  broom  and  dig  out  the  corners,  of  the  room 
12* 


274     "Betty  is  a  Lady,  and  Wears  a  Gold  Ring." 

with  immense  alacrity  and  dispatch,  baring  her  plump  arms  to 
the  shoulder  and  stirring  up  the  furniture  and  dust  as  if  her 
highest  happiness  was  " housework" 

Mrs.  Hethwaite  followed  her  daughter  to  the  door,  and 
thanked  her  as  cringingly  as  if  she  had  been  a  deacon's  wife 
bringing  them  a  donation. 

When  her  husband  had  clumped  up-stairs,  which  he  did  after 
his  very  pleasant  acceptance  of  the  invitation,  she  whispered : 
"  You  shouldn't  have  talked  so,  Perdita  ;  as  like  as  not  he  will 
go  himself  and  make  us  stay  at  home." 

"  He  will  not  dare  to  show  himself  without  you  !" 

"  Dare  !  he'd  lock  us  all  up  on  bread  and  water  if  he  took 
it  into  his  head  ;  he  dare  do  what  he  likes  to  us." 

"  He'll  come,  mother,  and  he'll  fetch  you,  never  fear.  I  wish 
I  could  bring  my  share  of  the  grand  dinner  down  here  and  eat 
it  with  you — only  us  two  and  Betty.  Look  at  Dolly  ! " 

Mrs.  Hethwaite  turned  where  Perdita  pointed.  The  broom 
was  lying  idle  against  the  chair,  and  the  girl  was  twisting  her 
hair  before  the  little  old  mirror. 

"  Yes.  I  reckoned  her  industrious  fit  wouldn't  last  long  after 
he  was  out  of  sight.  She  won't  ever  be  so  good  a  worker  as 
you  was,  Perdita." 

"She'll  steady  by-and-by,  mother.  I  should  have  been  hap 
pier  if  I  had  followed  my  likings  as  much  as  she  does.  I  shall 
come  down  to-morrow  and  make  you  a  pretty  cap,  and  show 
you  the  neatest  way  to  wear  it.  And  mother,  how  many  eggs 
do  you  put  in  your  gingerbread  ?  I  mean  to  whip  up  a  card, 
and  put  it  right  before  father  on  the  table.  He  always  told  us  it 
was  the  only  sweet-cake  fit  to  eat.  He  shall  see  how  I  treasure 
his  precepts." 

"  I  am  glad  you  can  laugh,  Perdita.     I'm  glad  you  can  afford 
to.     I  can't.     But  you  had  best  be  careful,  or  he'll  get  mad, 
and  as  likely  as  not  he'll  forbid  you  his  house." 
•  "  No  danger  of  that.     I  am  a  rich  man's  wife !     I  am   an 
heir  in  possession,  you  know." 


Miss  Meddlesome  and  Her  Grandmother.        275 


CHAPTER  XXXIX. 

MISS   MEDDLESOME   AND    HER   GRANDMOTHER. 


HEN  Dame  Slaughton  was  consulted  about 
the  dinner,  she  said  she'd  have  over  the 
Brandigees,  who  must  stop  all  night ; 
and  she  gave  minute  and  particular 
directions  as  to  the  old  couple's  room, 
and  took  Hannah  up-stairs  to  sweep  the 
two  designed  for  Mrs.  Richard  Pritchard 
and  her  children,  and  thereby  brought 

out  some  growling  from  that  faithful   servant,  who   said   she 
"  didn't  want  to  be  bossed  by  t'  auld  woman." 

After  some  pondering,  Mr.  Slaughton  went  to  Perdita,  and 
proposed  that  she  should  give  the  little  people  a  table  to  them 
selves  in  the  small  supper-room,  with  an  independent  turkey 
and  chicken-pie,  and  that  Malcolm  should  carve,  and  Cicely 
preside.  She  looked  at  him  in  astonishment.  It  was  such  a 
novel  suggestion  !  so  very  strange  and  startling  that  it  hardly 
seemed  proper. 

"  I  never  heard  of  such  a  thing  !  "  said  she  breathlessly. 
"  What  can  we  do  with  the  children,  then  ?     Our  table  will 
never  hold  us  all." 

"  Make  them  wait,  I  suppose  ;  that  is  the  only  way  I  know, 
to  dispose  of  small  vessels  of  wrath,  when  there  isn't  room 
among  the  large  ones." 

"  That  would  be  cruel,"  laughed  Mr.  Slaughton.  "  I  am 
afraid  they  wouldn't  give  many  thanks  during  the  ordeal.  No. 
Let  us.  put  them  by  themselves ;  it  will  be  so  droll  to  see  them 
manage." 


276        Miss  Meddlesome  and  Her  Grandmother. 

"  It  will  be  a  pretty  sight.  I  wonder  what  father  will  think 
when  he  sees  it,  and  hears  their  noise." 

The  new  dining-hall  was  all  complete,  and  a  very  handsome 
and  commodious  place  it  was.  Perdita  especially  admired  its 
wainscoting  of  oak  and  tulip-wood,  and  the  panels  of  fish  and 
game,  and  the  "  three  landscapes  with  cattle,"  which  Mr. 
Slaughton  brought  out  from  some  packing-cases  where  they  had 
lain  perdu  for  years,  and  she  was  much  amused  to  see  the 
dame  gloat  over  her  solid  silver,  while  she  was  setting  it  up  in 
state  on  the  massive  sideboard. 

"  I've  always  kept  it  locked  away,"  said  she.  "  I  hadn't  any 
good  place  to  show  it  off,  and  it  does  kinder  worry  me  when 
it's  around  ;  some  pesky  thief  might  get  in  and  steal  it.  I  declare  ! 
how  harnsum  it  does  look  !  I  don't  suppose  you  ever  saw  any 
real  silver  before,  did  you,  Perdita  ?  " 

"  Excepting  my  grandmother's  porringer  and  my  grand 
father's  shoe-buckles,  I  am  afraid  I  never  did,  ma'am." 

"  Well,  this  is  all  solid,  and  it'll  all  go  to  Samuel  and  his 
heir.5.  I  should  think  it  would  make  you  feel  sort  o'  grand  to 
think  you  have  married  into  a  family  that  has  so  many  nice 
things." 

"  Auntie's  folks  are  pretty  poor,  I  expect.  I  feel  sorry  for 
poor  folks  that  don't  have  any  beautiful  silver  tea-pots,  and 
sugar-bowls  and  milk-cups,  like  us  ;  don't  you,  grandma  ?  You 
arc  real  rich,  ain't  you?  May  1  have  some  seed-cake?"  said 
Cicely  Vance,  who  was  everywhere,  meddling  with  everything, 
ling,  and  making  comments  on  all  she  heard. 

"  Is  not  Miss  Vance  neglecting  some  lessons,  in  order  that 
she  may  confer  on  us  her  very  charming  presence?"  inquired 
Mr.  Slaughton  with  a  wry  face. 

"  .\o,  she  is  not,  Samuel,"  spoke  up  the  dame  tartly  ;  "  she 
wants  to  see  us  fix  ;  don't  you  go  finding  fault  with  her,  I  beg ! 
bhe  has  a  hard  time  enough  without  that.  Here,  Cicely  !  here's 
a  lundful  of  raisins  for  you,  you  poor  motherless  child." 

it  was  not  long  before  the  dame  discovered  the  motherless 


Miss  Meddlesome  and  Her  Grandmother.        277 

child  amusing  her  leisure  with  rubbing  her  fingers  all  over  the 
solid  silver ;  and  lapping  it  with  her  tongue,  insomuch  that  its 
fine  burnish  was  streaked  and  blurred  ;  then  her  petting  was 
changed  to  fretting,  and  she  gave  the  motherless  child  a  smart 
cuff  and  a  push. 

"  Go  along  with  you,  Miss  Meddlesome,  and  leave  things 
alone." 

Cicely  stuck  out  her  lips,  and  jerked  her  shoulders  into  a  cor 
ner  close  by  the  table,  and  the  raisins,  which  she  pilfered  by 
fistfuls,  and  munched  slyly. 

The  old  lady  came  around  after  a  while  and  stood  opposite 
to  her,  folding  carefully  the  tissue-paper  in  which  her  trea 
sures  had  been  wrapped,  and  placing  them  in  a  drawer  for  future 
use,  and  she  noticed  some  strange  motions  of  her  granddaugh 
ter's  mouth,  caused  by  the  haste  she  was  making  to  dispose  of 
its  contents  and  look  unconcerned,  not  to  say  hungry. 

"  Cicely  !  don't  gnaw  your  lips  that  way  •  it  makes  you  per 
fectly  hegious"  she  called  out  in  a  scolding  voice. 

"  I  don't  think  young  girls  can  look  hegious  ;  I  never  saw 
one  that  was.  I  saw  an  old  woman  once  that  was  perfectly 
hegious ! " 

Her  blue  eyes  resting  on  her  grandmother,  unwittingly 
pointed  her  meaning  to  one  of  the  present  company,  who 
glowered  threateningly. 

"  You  did,  did  you  ?  Well,  you'll  see  a  girl  that'll  stop  up 
stairs  Thanksgiving  day,  if  she  don't  look  out." 

"  Oh,  I  didn't  mean  you,  grandmother ;  I  meant  Sister 
Josephine  ;  she  was  a  sight  to  behold." 

"  You  are  crafty  to  locate  your  example  of  ugliness  as  far  off 
as  your  convent,"  remarked  Mr.  Slaughton,  eyeing  his  niece 
with  great  disfavor. 

The  dame  did  a  great  deal  of  fussing  and  fretting  during  the 
preparations,  and  frequently  mislaid  her  temper  and  rated  the 
children  ;  but  she  did  not  much  disturb  her  busy  daughter-in- 
law,  who  entered  into  the  mysteries  with  such  zest  and  abandon- 


278 


"Lef  us  Eaf,  Drink,  and  be  Merry" 


ment,  and  had  so  much  to  discuss  with  the  house-master,  that 
she  almost  forgot  to  be  distant  and  respectful. 

It  was  such  a  wonderful  thing  to  assist  at  a  feast  like  those 
she  and  Teddy  used  to  dream  of,  with  plenty  on  the  board,  and 
pleasant  faces  around  it,  when  he  should  be  Professor  in  his 
college,  and  she  kept  his  house  ;  and  Mr.  Slaughton's  ideas  so  far 
outstripped  her  conceptions  of  practicability,  that  she  was 
filled  with  surprise  and  pleasure. 

She  flitted  hither  and  thither  ;  ske  swept  and  dusted  ;  she 
baked  cakes  and  pies,  and  whipped  up  eggs  and  dabbled  in 
sweets  and  spices,  and  her  face  bloomed  like  a  fresh  rose,  she 
was  so  warm  over  the  baking  and  the  jellies,  and  she  made 
not  a  single  failure  ;  each  was  perfection  in  its  kind.  Thrice 
fortunate  cook !  would  that  we  all  might  be  as  lucky  and 
successful. 


CHAPTER  XL. 
"LET  us  EAT,  DRINK,  AND  BE  MERRY." 

"  And  Jane  Maria  and  Ann  Sophia, 

And  all  the  children  livin' ; 
And  Hezekiah,  and  Jerymiah, 

Shall  come  to  our  Thanksgivin'  !" 


HE  Brandegees  arrived  first — a  nice  elderly 
couple,  who  prided  themselves  on  their 
good  blood,  and  had  always  behaved 
well  enough  to  warrant  their  claim. 

Mrs.  Richard  Pritchard,  a  pretty  young 
widow,  commonly  called  Dickey  among 
her  friends,  brought  her  two  little  girls, 
who  were  very  lively  and  spirited,  and 
soon  on  frolicking  terms  with  the  Vances,  and  needed  a  good 


" Let  us  Eat,  Drink,  and  be  Merry."  279 

deal  of  chiding  to  keep  their  boisterousness  in  bearable 
bounds. 

The  Parson  appeared  in  a  suit  of  rusty  black  and  a  wide 
white  neckcloth,  well-polished  high-lows,  and  with  manners 
stiff  and  ungracious,  ready  to  dispute  in  his  bow-wow  way  with 
anybody,  and  fore-inclined  to  be  displeased  with  everything  in 
this  rich  man's  house. 

His  faded  old  wife  was  in  a  faded  old  dress,  so  rusty  and  worn 
that  even  the  neat  muslin  cap  failed  to  smarten  her  much. 

She  sat  down,  a  gathered  little  heap,  on  the  edge  of  her 
chair,  with  her  feet  as  close  together  as  she  could  possibly  put 
them,  and  her  hands  in  her  lap  under  her  handkerchief,  an  un 
conscious  effort  to  hide  their  clumsiness  (Violet  Wemple's 
hands  had  been  very  soft  and  fine  and  pretty).  She  was  an 
apology  from  her  head  to  her  toes,  agreeing  with  all  that  was 
said,  and  constantly  nodding  and  repeating  her  "Yes  indeed  ; 
quite  right,"  and  "  Dear  me  !  you  don't  say  so  !  "  till  her  daugh 
ter  felt  nervous,  and  wished  she  would  contradict  somebody,  if 
only  to  show  she  was  able  to  hold  an  opinion. 

"  Red-cheeked  Dolly  was  fresh  in  the  new  suit  which  the 
chicken-money  had  purchased,  and  the  boys  looked  like  gentle 
men,  although  their  clothes  were  homespun  and  home-made. 
So  thought  Perdita,  viewing  them  from  the  Brandegees'  genteel 
standpoint. 

A  little  ludicrous  circumstance,  which  developed  immediately 
after  the  Parson's  arrival,  stirred  him  to  captiousness,  and 
knotted  deeper  the  discontented  wrinkles  in  his  face. 

Clothes-presses  were  small,  and  the  hooks  in  them  scarce,  at 
the  parsonage  ;  and  as  the  cold  weather  drew  the  family  into 
narrower  limits,  or  winter  quarters,  avoiding  as  much  as  possi 
ble  the  deadly  chill  of  the  never-heated  rooms,  all  wearing 
apparel  was  huddled  into  the  least  space  and  most  accessible 
proximities.  That  was  the  reason  why  Mrs.  Hethwaite,  on  re 
turning  from  church,  had  pinned  her  best  bonnet  upon  the  tail 
of  her  husband's  Sunday  coat. 


280  "Lcf  its  Eat,  Drink,  and  be  Merry." 

The  Parson's  feeling  concerning  that  sable  garment  was  like 
the  woodman's  for  his  lost  axe,  when  he  cried,  "Ah  me  !  where 
shall  I  get  another  ?  "  and  he  always  took  it  off,  and  hung  it  up 
the  minute  he  entered  his  house. 

When  Thanksgiving  day  dawned,  he  gave  out  at  the  break 
fast-table  that  he  would  have  no  dilatoriness,  and  if  his  family 
were  not  ready  at  a  certain  time  which  it  pleased  him  to  fix,  he 
should  proceed  without  them. 

Of  course  it  was  the  easiest  thing  in  the  world  for  him  to  be 
punctual,  as  Malcolm  brushed  his  shoes,  and  he  had  nobody  to 
look  out  for  but  his  own  high-mightiness,  while  the  others  had 
chores,  and  dishes,  and  other  hindrances  to  bother  them,  not 
to  mention  the  extra  care  needed  to  make  themselves  fit  for  the 
great  festival.  Mrs.  Hethwaite  especially  was  anxious  and 
nervous,  and  when  the  clock  struck  she  had  got  only  as  far  as 
her  stockings. 

"  Very  well,"  said  the  Parson,  "  I  tarry  for  no  laggards !  and 
if  you  don't  catch  up  with  me  before  I  get  there,  you  will  hear 
of  it  when  I  reach  home  this  evening  ! " 

If  he  had  been  pleasant  and  agreeable,  somebody  might  have 
seen  the  unusual  and  unnecessary  appendage  swinging  in  his 
rear  as  he  clumped  off,  and  his  wife  might  have  been  saved  the 
dreadful  flurry  which  caused  her  to  forget  where  she  had 
bestowed  her  velvet  scoop. 

As  the  young  people  became  clamorous,  and  besought  her  to 
get  started,  she  finally  was  obliged  to  don  her  old  hood,  and 
they  were  all  blown  and  panting  when  they  neared  the  mansion 
house,  whose  door  had  already  shut  behind  their  autocrat,  who 
was  shaking  hands  pompously  with  the  company  and  keeping  a 
look-out  for  the  delinquents,  nearly  deciding  that  they  should 
hear  from  him  then  and  there. 

Suddenly  a  gush  and  torrent  of  mirth  sounded  behind  him. 
The  children  gathered  there  had  held  their  hands  over  their 
mouths,  till  it  was  of  no  use — the  laugh  had  to  burst  out.  And 
when  he  wheeled  about  to  confront  them  with  a  frown,  the 


"Let  us  Eat,  Drink,  and  be  Merry"  281 

elders  discovered  his  decoration,  and  heartily  joined  the  glee, 
which  was  contagious  beyond  resistance,  the  Parson  getting 
redder  and*  redder,  till  Dickey  Pritchard  unpinned  the  trophy 
and  displayed  it  before  his  astonished  eyes.  And  as  he  gazed 
at  it  he  muttered  some  strange  sounding  words,  which  might 
have  been  familiar  to  him  in  his  reckless  youth. 

It  took  a  good  deal  of  blandishment  on  Mrs.  Dickey's  part 
to  induce  him  to  converse  with  her  ;  but  she  persevered,  and 
she  prevailed,  insomuch  that  his  family  slid  and  sidled  into  the 
room  almost  unnoticed  by  him,  he  being  in  the  very  conflux  of 
a  description  of  a  Choctaw  war-dance,  with  gestures  and  explana 
tions;  and  it  was  not  till  he  happened  to  fixhis  wife  with  a  look 
supposed  to  be  hurled  at  a  fighting  Indian,  that  he  remembered 
to  scowl  wrathfully  at  her. 

The  Hethwaites  had  not  been  an  hour  in  the  house  before 
Mr.  Slaughton  discovered  that  Perdita  had  cause  for  annoyance 
and  alarm  on  the  subject  which  lay  nearest  her  heart. 

Bettine  came  down  in  the  new  merino,  with  its  flossy  roses 
and  pinks,  a  nice  sash,  dainty  little  slippers,  and  her  soft  hair 
in  light  curls  ;  and  as  he  reached  out  his  arms  for  her,  he  said, 
smiling  to  her  sister  : 

"  See  how  like  she  is  to  Aslauga  the  fair  daughter  of  Sigurd, 
when  she  appeared  to  her  knight  in  the  flowing  veil  of  her 
golden  locks,  as  if  a  golden  rosy-tinted  summer's  cloud  was 
passing  over  the  deep  blue  sky.  Say !  beauteous  Aslauga, 
wilt  thou  give  me  a  kiss  in  thy  loveliness  and  brightness  ?  " 

And  the  child  smiled  a  glad  and  happy  smile  as  she  threw 
her  white  arms  around  his  neck,  hugging  him  close,  while  she 
pressed  his  cheek  with  hers,  so  smooth  and  round. 

This  is  what  the  Parson  saw  and  heard,  as  his  youngest  born 
came  thus,  and  was  thus  welcomed.  He  looked  so  hard  and 
glum  that  he  seemed  about  to  snort  with  contempt,  and  he 
presently  took  an  opportunity  to  hold  forth  upon  "  stupid  non 
sense,"  foolish  vanities,  and  vain  woman,  gew-gaws,  tinsel  and 
fripperies,  and  he  coveted  all  Bettine's  motions  with  such 


282  "Let  us  Eat,  Drink,  and  be  Merry" 

savage  disapproval  that  Perdita  suspected  he  might  be  capable 
of  tearing  the  new  dress  off  her  pet  with  his  own  hands,  and 
"committing  it  to  the  flames,"  that  having  been  his  favorite 
disposition  of  many  trifles  she  had  dared  to  treasure  and  value 
when  under  his  paternal  rule  and  direction. 

Not  so  the  child's  mother.  She  could  not  take  her  eyes  ofl 
her  lovely  baby,  and  she  seized  on  her  and  wept  over  her  some 
secret  tears,  for  pure,  fond  yearning  and  tender  admiration, 
mingled  with  wonder  that  such  a  fine,  graceful,  delicate  thing 
should  have  been  cradled  in  her  poor  arms,  and  drawn  its  rich 
life  from  hers,  so  thin  and  worthless. 

She  still  gazed  after  her,  when  the  mite  had  slipped  away 
into  a  corner,  full  of  content,  where  she  nursed  a  waxen  doll, 
handsomely  dressed — the  first  one  a  Hethwaite  had  ever  owned. 
It  had  come  in  a  box  from  Toptown  that  very  morning,  with 
four  others,  Mr.  Slaughton's  gifts  to  the  little  folks  ;  and  as  he 
did  nothing  by  halves,  of  course  Mrs.  Dickey's  young  ones 
were  sharers  of  his  bounty. 

Mrs.  Hethwaite  was  afraid  of  her  husband  ;  but  try  as  hard 
as  she  might,  she  could  not  keep  her  joy  and  pride  in  Bettine 
out  of  her  face.  Perhaps  the  sight  of  it,  as  well  as  the  bliss  in 
the  corner,  made  him  angry ;  he  seemed  watching  an  oppor 
tunity  to  pounce  on  and  put  an  end  to  it. 

Not  that  he  put  it  that  way  to  himself ;  in  his  mind  he  read, 
"  I  will  make  them  feel  my  wholesome  authority." 

"  Bring  that  thing  to  me,  Bettine  !  "  said  he  in  a  loud  voice, 
reaching  out  his  huge  hand,  and  gripping  and  ungripping  his 
horny  fingers. 

She  started  up  in  affright,  and  crept  timidly  and  most  unwill 
ingly  towards  him.  All  conversation  was  instantly  suspended 
in  the  room  ;  and  if  he  had  thought  worth  his  while  to  glance 
among  the  people,  he  might  have  found  some  very  decided 
opinions  of  him  and  his  conduct  mirrored  in  the  different  faces. 

"  The  best  thing  to  do  with  this  absurd  caricature  of  a  silly 
female,  is  to  put  it  on  the  fire."  As  he  spoke,  he  seized  the 


"Let  us  Eat,  Drink,  and  be  Merry."  283 

doll  which  Betty  was  clasping  close  to  her  beating  heart.  As 
he  pulled  it  from  her,  she  screamed  and  reached  after  it  in  pite 
ous  sorrow! 

Perhaps  the  good  divine  had  not  meant  to  destroy  the 
plaything  ;  perhaps  he  intended  only  to  terrify  and  chasten  his 
tender  offspring.  But  he  happened  to  throw  a  look  at  Mr. 
Slaughton,  which  also  hit  old  Mrs.  Brandegee  in  passing,  and  he 
got  in  return  such  very  pointed  opinions,  that  he  felt  nettled  by 
them  ;  and  his  pendulous  lip  went  down  at  the  corners,  and  he 
hurled  the  doll  among  the  glowing  coals  with  an  unregenerate 
gesture. 

"  Next  time,  learn  not  to  raise  your  arms  in  rebellion  against 
me,  your  father  !  "  said  he,  taking  hold  of  Betty  with  his  power 
ful  grip,  and  hauling  her  between  his  knees,  where  he  shook 
her  violently. 

The  poor  little  creature  cast  a  hopeless  and  beseeching 
glance  at  her  sister,  who  sat  silent,  with  gaze  fixed  on  the  car 
pet.  The  deep  frown  between  her  eyes  and  her  mounting 
color  showed  how  she  was  inwardly  chafing  and  fretting  over 
her  powerlessness  to  shield  the  treasure  who  was  in  danger  of 
being  ordered  back  to  the  dreary  home  from  which  she  had 
snatched  her  at  such  cost,  and  she  used  all  her  power  over 
her  emotions  to  hold  herself  steady  and  quiet  enough  not  to 
spring  on  the  man  whom  she  was  inwardly  calling  a  tyrant  and 
a  monster,  and  pour  out  all  the  pent-up  injuries  of  years  in  such 
a  torrent  of  reproaches  and  truths  as  must  have  made  them 
strangers  forever. 

Suddenly  the  sobs  and  cries  ceased,  and  the  child  fell  back 
pale  and  motionless. 

"  Oh  dear !  oh  dear !  She's  lost  her  breath ;  she  often 
does  when  she's  hurt  or  frightened,"  whispered  Mrs.  Heth- 
waite,  fidgeting  and  hovering  around  the  limp  body  she  dared 
not  touch  without  permission. 

Mr.  Slaughton  rose  and  took  it  in  his  arms.  He  spoke  not 
a  word.  What  was  there  to  be  said  ?  It  could  never  have 


284  "Let  us  Eat,  Drink,  and  be  Merry" 

been  shame  which  made  the  Parson  give  her  up  ;  his  idea  of 
his  right  in  his  family  was  so  absolute  that  such  a  feeling  could 
not  possibly  have  affected  him.  As  he  loosed  his  hold  of  her 
he  glowered  on  the  company,  and  called  out  in  a  loud  voice  : 

"  Stupid  nonsense  ! " 

Perdita  followed  her  husband  silently  up  the  stairs  ;  her  face 
was  colorless,  and  her  eyes  glowed  like  stars.  She  pushed 
open  the  door  of  her  room,  and  made  a  sign  for  him  to  lay  his 
burden  on  the  bed  ;  the  motion  was  imperious  and  looked 
disdainful,  not  to  say  disparaging  and  contemptuous.  But  Mr. 
Slaughton  did  not  appropriate  to  himself  any  of  the  scorn  or 
disapprobation,  and  stood  quietly  waiting  to  find  out  how  he 
could  help  her,  as  she  went  swiftly  and  eagerly  about  the 
necessary  remedies. 

When  Betty  opened  her  eyes,  she  seemed  doubtful  and  dis 
turbed.  There  were  two  faces  bending  over  her  ;  one  of  them 
she  had  never  seen  in  that  place  before,  and  the  first  words  she 
uttered  were  these  : 

"  Uncle  Sam,  this  is  Perdita's  room.  You  must  not  come 
in  here." 

"  You'll  do.  Betty,"  replied  he  with  a  light  laugh,  as  he  turned 
on  his  heel ;  "  make  haste  now  and  come  down  to  dinner  ;  you 
must  not  monopolize  my  housekeeper." 

Poor  Mrs.  Hethwaite  dared  not  follow  her  children,  even 
with  her  eyes,  and  she  tried  to  be  conciliating  and  apologize 
for  the  occurrence. 

"  Betty  always  was  a  timorous  child,  afraid  of  her  shadow," 
etc. 

"Woman!  hold  your  peace!"  roared  the  Parson.  "I 
believe  a  good  sound  whipping  would  soon  cure  her  of  that 
trick  she's  got,  and  all  this  fuss  over  her  won't  help  her 
any." 

"  That's  just  my  notion,  Mr.  Hethwaite,"  chimed  in  Dame 
Slaughton,  with  sharp  emphasis.  "  Perdita  spoils  that  child 
dreadfully.  And  as  to  clothes,  I  tell  her  I  don't  know  what  is 


tkLet  us  Eat,  Drink,  and  be  Merry,"  285 

going  to  be  good  enough  for  her  to  wear  when  she  is  grown  up, 
if  she  puts  it  ail  on  now." 

"  Is  that  your  opinion,  madam  ?  I  have  been  much  dis 
pleased  with  what  I  have  observed  myself.  I  shall  take  early 
and  stringent  measures  to  counteract " 

"  Nonsense,  Parson  Hethwaite  ! "  cried  Mrs.  Richard  Pritch- 
ard,  who  saw  with  woman's  sharpness  the  meaning  and  drift 
of  the  whole  proceeding,  and  already  knew  something  of  Per- 
dita's  passion  for  her  sister.  "  Nonsense  ;  she  has  no  more 
nor  finer  clothes  than  any  child  needs.  Look  at  my  Susie  ! 
That  is  a  gros  grain  sash ;  the  embroidery  on  her  dress  is 
hand-work,  worth  a  dollar  a  yard ;  her  saque  came  from 
Warner's  and  cost  me  thirty-five  !  It  is  silk  velvet  wrought 
with  floss.  Now,  I  happen  to  know  that  Betty's  things  are  all 
the  products  of  Mrs.  Slaughton's  industry  and  taste,  and  you 
must  admit  that  the  result  is  perfection.  The  child  is  as  lovely 
as  an  angel,  and  her  clothes  suit  her.  Coarse,  common  things 
on  her  would  be  an  outrage,  which  any  person  of  good 
sense  and  proper  feeling  must  resent.  No,  my  dear  sir,  you 
might  as  well  think  to  teach  a  rose  how  to  blossom,  as  a  young 
woman  to  dress  a  baby.  Your  fashions,  Mrs.  Slaughton,  are 
old-time  fashions  ;  your  ideas,  Mr.  Hethwaite,  are  out  of  date. 
Let  the  two  alone.  Ask  Father  Brandegee  ;  he'll  say  I  am  right, 
won't  he,  mother?" 

Mrs.  Dicky  carried  it  by  her  audacity.  The  old  man  patted 
fondly  the  head  she  laid  on  his  shoulder,  and  said : 

"Yes,  darter,  I  dare  say.  I'm  too  wise  to  meddle  with 
such  women's  affairs." 

Then  she  went  over  and  drew  a  chair  close  to  the  divine, 
and  begged  him  to  tell  her  something  about  a  new  science  she 
had  just  heard  of  called  "  Ouranography  ; "  and  she  listened 
with  her  knowing  widow-eyes  on  his  face,  drinking  in  his  talk, 
so  that  he  dropped  Betty  and  her  minor  interests  in  the  delight 
of  a  handsome  auditor,  who  listened  so  willingly  that  the 
cockles  of  his  old  heart  were  quite  warmed  and  stirred  with 


286  "Let  us  Eat,  Drink,  and  be  Merry" 

pleasure.  Whenever  he  remembered  Mrs.  Dickey  afterwards, 
he  thought  of  her  as  a  most  charming  and  highly  cultured 
woman,  though  she  had  not  uttered  a  dozen  words  during  the 
colloquy,  and  Betty's  return  to  the  circle  was  not  greeted  by 
any  of  the  high  looks  and  hard  words  he  had  mentally  prepared 
for  her. 

Mrs.  Hethwaite  took  the  first  opportunity  to  creep  up  to  the 
shrewd  widow  and  squeeze  her  hand,  and  whisper  her  broken 
thanks  for  her  good  nature. 

While  Mrs.  Dickey  returned  the  poor  creature's  grasp  with  a 
cordial  and  hearty  pressure,  she  looked  at  Perdita's  erect  figure 
and  glowing  beauty,  and  wondered  if  time,  and  any  husband 
whatsoever,  would  ever  be  able  to  reduce  her  to  such  a  faded 
abasement. 

Betty's  perils  were  not  over,  however.  The  children  were 
all  at  play  at  one  end  of  the  long  drawing-room,  while  Mrs. 
Brandigee  and  her  daughter  chatted  with  the  other  guests 
around  the  grate.  Susie  Pritchard  was  holding  the  mite's  hand, 
and  talking  to  her,  when  Cicely  Vance  came  along  with  an 
orange  in  her  fist. 

"  Look  a-here,  Betty,"  said  she,  "  see  what  a  nice  orange  I've 
got !  Don't  you  want  it  ?" 

Betty  reached  out  and  took  the  fruit  with  a  good  deal  of 
childish  wonder  in  her  eyes  at  the  unwonted  kindness,  and  was 
busy  imbibing  its  grateful  juice,  when  Dame  Slaughton  entered 
from  the  pantry,  where  she  had  been  muddling  the  house 
keeper's  orders  with  suggestions  of  her  own. 

"  Where  did  you  get  that  orange  ?  "  asked  she  crossly. 

"  Cicely  gave  it  to  me,"  answered  Betty,  who  began  to 
tremble. 

"  I  didn't,  grandma  !  I  only  showed  it  to  her,  and  asked 
her  if  she  ever  saw  such  a  little  one  ;  and  I  was  going  to  put  it 
straight  back  into  the  dish,  and  she  snatched  it  right  out  of  my 
hand,  she  did  !  so  there,  now  !  " 

"  Well  !    here's  a  pretty  caper  !    that  child   steals   and   lies 


"Let  us  Eat,  Drink,  and  be  Merry."  287 

both ! "  exclaimed  the  dame  triumphantly  pursing  her  mouth 
and  nodding  to  her  friends.  "  I'll  teach  her  better  than 
to  meddle,  'at  any  rate.  There  !  take  that !  now  see  if  you 
can  learn  to  leave  things  alone !  " 

Perdita  came  in  just  in  time  to  witness  the  blow,  which  stung 
her  as  if  she  had  received  it  on  her  own  cheek. 

Little  Betty  did  not  shed  a  tear;  but  she  looked  fearfully 
over  at  her  father,  who  was  conversing  with  his  host — such  an 
old,  apprehensive  glance,  and  she  glided  swiftly  up  to  her 
sister. 

"  Don't  say  anything,  Perdita,"  she  murmured;  "  she  did  not 
hurt  me  much.  See  !  my  face  is  not  sore  a  bit.  Oh,  dear  !  is 
father  looking  at  me  ?  will  he  whip  me  ?  will  he  take  me 
home  ?  I  did  not  tell  a  lie  ;  Cicely  did  give  it  to  me." 

The  instant  Cicely  uttered  her  characteristic  statement,  Susie 
Pritchard  flew  to  her  mother,  and  pointing  at  her,  exclaimed, 
"  Oh,  mamma  !"  in  a  frightened  voice,  as  if  she  expected  to  see 
some  dreadful  punishment  overtake  such  an  audacious  sinner. 

Mrs.  Dickey,  being  one  of  those  mothers  whose  ears  are  apt 
to  be  alert  when  their  children  are  about  them,  had  seen  and 
heard  the  whole  ;  and  she  was  so  filled  with  amazement  and 
admiration  of  Betty's  self-control  that  she  rose  and  joined  Per 
dita. 

"  You  are  a  dear,  good,  brave  little  darling,"  said  she  stoop 
ing  and  kissing  the  mite.  "  I  don't  wonder  your  sister  adores 
you — who  could  help  it?  Don't  mind,  Mrs.  Slaughton,"  she 
added ;  "  of  course  it  isn't  proper  for  me  to  meddle  ;  but  I 
can't  help  seeing  that  your  road  is  a  little  difficult  in  places.  I 
know  just  how  it  is  ;  I  have  things  to  bear  myself  sometimes, 
and  I  feel  it  hard  to  have  others  thus  punish  and  control  my 
children.  I  have  to  bite  in  to  keep  my  temper,  I  assure  you. 
As  for  that  Cicely,  she's  just  like  her  father  !  she's  a  viper  ! " 

Whether  Mr.  Slaughton  heard  and  saw  the  fracas  did  not 
appear.  If  he  did,  he  adopted  the  part  of  discretion  and  kept 
his  distance.  He  was  more  than  commonly  tender  to  his  small 


288  "Let  us  Eat,  Drink,  and  be  Merry" 

favorite,  and  Perdita  almost  felt  as  if  he  was  exerting  himself  to 
help  her  over  the  hard  parts.  His  genial  watchfulness  might 
have  been  only  a  portion  of  his  host's  duty  which  embellishes 
and  adorns  his  own  house,  and  spreads  general  ease  and  con 
tent  around  his  own  hospitalities. 

The  young  wife  took  her  place  at  the  table  with  some  trep 
idation  and  embarrassed  blushes,  especially  after  the  trials  and 
vexations  which  had  preceded  the  dinner.  But  she  reminded 
herself  that  she  must  do  honor  to  the  place,  for,  after  all,  said 
she,  I  am  the  lady  of  this  mansion  in  the  eyes  of  these  guests, 
however  secluded  and  unnatural  my  life  may  be  in  private. 
He  shall  not  look  at  me  and  find  me  wanting.  Let  me  show 
Mr.  Slaughton  that  I  am  able  to  dispense  his  entertainments 
with  the  dignity  he  has  a  right  to  expect. 

Fortunately,  the  cooking  was  excellent  ;  the  chicken-pie 
rich,  melting,  juicy,  delicious ;  everybody  praised  it,  and  Dame 
Slaughton  remarked  to  her  neighbor  : 

"  Oh,  yes,  Mrs.  Hethwaite,  you  needn't  be  a  mite  ashamed 
of  Perdita's  pastry  ;  it's  every  bit  as  good  is  mine." 

Dickey  Pritchard  was  a  great  help  to  the  young  hostess.  She 
sat  at  her  right  hand,  and  served  the  gravies  and  the  pickles, 
and  she  made  so -much  talk  with  everybody,  and  did  so  much 
laughing,  that  she  saved  her  any  unnecessary  outlay  of  words. 

The  children's  table  was  beautiful,  their  turkey  tender  ;  and 
Malcolm  carved  remarkably  well,  considering  that  it  was  the 
first  fowl  whose  joints  he  had  ever  essayed  to  find. 

Cicely  Vance  presided  at  top,  with  as  many  airs  and  graces 
as  if  the  affair  of  the  orange  had  not  happened.  She  had  evi 
dently  forgotten  all  about  «it,  and  she  stuck  out  her  fingers  and 
giggled,  and  hinted  to  Josie  Pritchard  about  Dolly's  "shocking 
table  manners,"  drawing  attention  to  the  way  she  was  gnawing 
a  wing-bone ;  and  she  told  what  poor  folks  hei  father  and 
mother  were,  and  how  she  had  only  two  or  three  dresses,  and 
how  her  best  hat  was  made  over  and  dyed,  and  such  other 
pleasant  little  items  as  she  could  think  of ;  and  she  made  such 


"Let  us  Eat,  Drink,  and  be  Merry."  289 

fun  of  her,  that  the  Pritchards  left  off  talking  to  the  stranger, 
and  stared  9penly  at  her. 

Cicely's  friendships  always  tended  to  corner-groups  and 
whispering  secrets,  which  left  out  some  companion  in  the  cold, 
neglected  and  unhappy. 

Cicely  gorged  herself  habitually  at  table.  Like  all  soulless 
animals,  the  pleasure  of  eating  was  paramount.  The  pantry 
was  robbed  of  its  cakes  by  her  clammy  white  fingers  ;  her 
pockets  were  always  full  of  the  crumbs  of  pilfered  delicacies. 
What  a  future  for  such  a  creature,  except  wallowing  in  all  the 
Itists  of  the  flesh,  all  pride  of  the  eye,  all  gratification  of  the 
palate  ? 

So  mused  her  uncle,  as  he  observed  his  lovely-hued  niece 
slyly  slipping  aside  raisins,  nuts,  and  macaroons,  for  secret  de- 
vourance,  pilfering  from  plenty  what  was  never  denied  to  her  ; 
choosing  to  steal  and  lie  rather  then  live  honestly  and  openly. 

All  through  the  day  Perdita  felt  the  heavy  trouble  of  which 
the  morning  had  warned  her.  The  stern,  disapproving  looks 
her  father  darted  at  her  darling  every  time  she  came  within  his 
notice,  and  her  mother's  nervous  apologies  for  every  move  the 
child  made,  filled  her  with  anxieties ;  and  she  wished,  oh  !  how 
she  wished  she  had  power  to  hold  the  bonnie  wee  thing  safe  in 
her  enfolding  love — so  safe  that  no  tyrant's  hand  could  reach 
her. 

When  Betty  hung  about  Mr.  Slatighton,  she  watched  him 
carress  her ;  as  she  clung  fondly  to  him,  a  sure  way  to  make 
the  child  secure  suggested  itself  to  her. 

"  If  he  were  to  adopt  her  legally,  father  would  have  to  leave 
her  alone.  If  he  only  would  !  " 

She  put  aside  the  idea  as  impossible,  even  if  her  husband 
were  willing,  which  was  not  likely ;  the  dame  would  never 
consent ;  such  a  move  would  suppose  a  sharing  of  his  wealth 
with  the  stranger  whom  she  disliked  as  an  interloper ;  and  she 
knew  quite  well  that  the  Parson  would  refuse  such  an  offer  with 
acrimony ;  the  jealous  spite  he  had  shown  so  many  times 
13 


290  "Let  us  Eat,  Drink,  and  be  Merry" 

already  made  it  sure  that  he  would  not  only  flout  the  proposal, 
but  abuse  its  author. 

The  knowledge  which  the  Thanksgiving  festivities  thrust  on 
his  notice,  that  another  man  could  give  ease  and  elegance  to 
children  of  his,  while  he  gave  them  only  poverty  and  hard  lines, 
was  evidently  rankling  in  him  like  venom.  He  proved  it  by 
his  actions  and  looks,  and  his  flings  at  "  rich  people ; "  and 
Dame  Slaughton's  remarks  made  matters  worse,  so  that  Perdita 
almost  expected  him  to  carry  off  the  child  that  very  night,  and 
her  soul  died  within  her*  at  the  appalling  prospect. 

So  many  bad  passions  were  stirring  in  the  heart  of  the  divine, 
as  jealousy,  envy,  pride,  and  uncharitableness,  that  his  counte 
nance  was  more  than  usually  grim  and  repulsive.  His  discour 
tesy  did  not  hinder  Mrs.  Dickey's  amusing  herself  with  him, 
and  his  "bow-wows"  only  made  her  laugh.  She  persisted  in 
arguing  on  the  immortality  of  animals,  and  assured  him  that  every 
dog  and  horse  he  had  owned  here  would  be  ready  to  greet  him 
on  the  other  side  of  Jordan,  and  asked  him  how  he  liked  the 
prospect.  And  she  quoted  Montaigne :  "  If  my  cat  and  I 
entertain  each  other  with  mutual  apish  tricks,  as  playing  with 
a  garter,  who  knows  but  I  make  my  cat  more  sport  than  she 
makes  me  ?  Shall  I  conclude  her  simple,  that  has  her  time  to 
begin  and  her  time  to  refuse  to  play,  as  freely  as  I  myself  have  ?  " 

The  Parson  replied  pleasantly  that  Montaigne  was  a  fool,  and 
the  rubbish  he  penned  all  "  stupid  nonsense." 

"  Why,  bless  us  and  save  us,  Mr.  Hethwaite !  "  exclaimed 
Mrs.  Dickey ;  "  you  might  be  one  of  the  six  who  stood  on 
Mount  Ebal,  you  deal  out  your  decisions  so  forcibly." 

There  were  not  wanting  some  mirth-provoking  incidents  dur 
ing  the  day,  which  the  young  wife  enjoyed  in  spite  of  her  wor 
ries  and  perplexities. 

After  dinner  the  children  had  the  dining-hall  for  a  play-room, 
and  their  first  exploit  was  to  build  a  den  of  chairs  roofed  with 
the  table-spread,  into  which  they  inserted  little  Susie  Pritchard, 
to  represent  the  prophet  whom  the  Babylonish  king  cast  to  the 


"Let  us  Eat,  Drink,  and  fo  Merry."  291 

savage  beasts.  When  she  was  properly  crouched  in  an  attitude 
of  humble  prayer,  Bertram  and  Billy  sat  down  in  front  of  her 
and  began  to  roar  with  all  their  might,  while  Malcolm  leaned 
over  the  top  and  helped  them  with  his  deep,  bass  voice.  Soon 
she  began  to  tremble  and  cry  out  for  assistance,  quite  pale  with 
terror. 

"  Ro-r-r-r-o-o-r  !  r-r-r-r-r-r-o-o-r,"  screamed  Billy ;  "have  faith 
in  God,  Daniel !  We  haven't  half  done  yet.  R-r-r-r-r-o-o-r  ! 
r-r-r-r-o-o-r." 

The  feigning  proved  too  real  for  the  nerves  of  the  child,  and 
her  mother  was  obliged  to  release  the  captive  and  nurse  her  in 
her  arms,  and  point  out  to  her  that  it  was  only  two  small  boys 
who  made  the  terrific  rumpus. 

"But  they  roared,  they  acted  like  lions.  I  don't  like  boys 
that  act  like  lions  ;  I  like  them  to  act  like  boys,"  replied  the 
sobbing  Daniel. 

Josie  took  quite  another  view  of  their  exploit,  and  experi 
enced  admiration  for  their  wild  prowess. 

"  Mamma,"  whispered  she,  "  who  prayed  for  me  to  come  down 
from  heaven  ?  " 

"  I  suppose  I  did,  if  anybody." 

"Then  why  didn't  you  pray  sooner ;  so  that  I  might  have 
been  Malcolm's  sweetheart,  he  is  so  big  and  strong." 

Sam  the  setter  was  full  of  care  and  anxiety  about  Mrs. 
Dickey's  poodle-dog ;  and  no  sooner  did  he  see  the  little  white 
bundle  getting  caresses  and  attention,  than  he  showed  the  most 
intense  jealousy;  and  he  took  every  opportunity  to  crowd  him 
off  and  place  himself  in  front  of  his  mistress,  where  he  went 
through  all  his  best  tricks,  standing  on  his  head,  walking  on  his 
hind  legs,  and  begging  ;  occasionally  interrupting  his  show  to 
snarl  at  the  interloper,  and  keeping  a  watch  on  him  out  of  the 
tail  of  his  eye,  in  such  a  funny  way,  that  Perdita  laughed  mer 
rily,  until  her  father  came  to  look  on ;  then  she  lost  all  her 
enjoyment  of  her  dog,  and  made  haste  to  turn  him  out  before 
he  should  be  denounced  as  "  stupid  nonsense." 


292  ''Let  us  Eat,  Drink,  and  be  Merry" 

When  night  shut  in,  and  the  curtains  were  drawn,  Mrs. 
Dickey  volunteered  to  play  a  reel,  and  proposed  that  all 
should  join  in  it.  ' 

"  An  excellent  suggestion,"  said  Mr.  Slaughton.  "  Of  course 
you  have  no  objection,  Mr.  Hethwaite." 

"Objection  to  what?" 

"  Seeing*  the  little  folks  dance." 

"  Dance  !  objection  !  I'll  soon  show  you.  You  can  do  as 
you  please  ;  but  as  for  me  and  mine,  I  shall  countenance  no 
such  devil's  work  !  Wife,  get  your  bonnet." 

"  The  one  you  wore  up  here  pinned  onto  your  coat-tail  ?  " 
spoke  up  Cicely  Vance.  "I'll  fetch  it  j  but  it's  all  smashed  to 
death,  as  flat  as  a  pancake." 

"  And  yet  you  used  to  dance,  sir,"  said  Perdita,  "  when  you 
were  young  and  spry  enough." 

"  Perhaps  I  might  have  done  so,  while  I  was  a  bondman  of 
sin,  if  I  had  known  how,  which  I  rejoice  to  say  I  did  not ;  I  am 
at  a  loss  to  conceive  who  could  have  put  such  a  silly  notion 
into  your  head." 

He  glanced  at  his  wife,  who  looked  terrified. 

*  Nobody  told  me,  sir.  I  argued  that  a  poet  must  probably 
dance  ;  and  I  know  that  you  wrote  verses  in  ladies'  albums, 
and  poems  to  your  charmers — this  one,  for  instance  : 

"  '  Prythee,  sweetheart,  be  not  so  sad  ; 

Else  shall  I  think  thou  lovest  me  not. 
For  she  that  loves  to  love  is  glad, 
And  loving,  hath  all  else  forgot. 
If  that  the  Past  doth  seem  unkind, 
I  will  a  better  Present  find. 
If  present  things  should  bring  annoy, 
I'll  make  thy  future  bright  with  joy. 

"  '  If  friends  to  thee  have  proved  untrue, 
/  will  l>e  all  they  should  have  been  ; 
If  fortune  frown  upon  thy  view, 

I'll  give  the  smiles  thou  sh  <uld'>t  have  seen. 


"Let  us  Eat,  Drink,  and  be  Merry"  293 

Thou  shall  not  want  for  anything 
That  he  who  loveth  thee  can  bring ; 
And  love  makes  all  things  to  be  had. 
Pry  thee,  sweetheart,  be  not  sad  ! '  " 

Perfect  silence  reigned  in  the  room  while  Perdita  recited 
the  lines  in  a  clear,  vibrant  voice,  and  Mrs.  Hethwaite  sat  with 
her  head  bent  at  first,  and  her  fingers  working  restlessly  with 
each  other.  Soon  she  stole  a  glance  at  her  husband,  who  was 
scowling  angrily  on  her  from  under  the  guard-house  of  his 
shaggy  brows,  while  his  pendulous  under  lip-drooped  like  an 
amiable  bull-dog's. 

Some  old,  long  forgotten  feeling,  began  to  stir  within  him 
presently,  however  ;  some  buried  memory  was  rekindled,  for 
his  face  changed  and  almost  softened  as  she  went  on. 

"  I  am  not  the  author  of  those  lines,  Mrs.  Slaughton,"  he  said 
shortly,  when  she  had  finished.  "  I  could  not  rhyme  half  so 
well." 

"  But  you  gave  them  to  my  mother." 

"That  may  be.  I  don't  propose  in  my  old  age  to  be 
brought  to  book  for  all  the  follies  of  my  youth,"  he  protested 
dryly. 

"  Don't  call  that  folly,  Mr.  Hethwaite.  What  would  this 
poor  world  be  without  young  love  and  young  lovers  ?  And  I 
am  sure  the  selection  is  wonderfully  beautiful — now,  is  it 
not  ?  "  said  Mrs.  Dickey. 

"  The  poetry  is  well  enough  for  poetry ;  but  all  poetry  is 
stupid  nonsense,  as  /have  lived  long  enough  to  find  out." 

"Meanwhile  these  dear  children  are  losing  valuable  time. 
I  hope  you  won't  object  to  their  playing  a  little  game  called 
eight  hands  round ;  it  is  very  simple  and  innocent,  as  I  will 
soon  show  you,"  entreated  Mrs.  Dickey  insinuatingly. 

"Calves  must  frisk,  and  puppies  and  kittens  must  jump, 
Parson,"  put  in  old  Mr.  Brandegee,  with  a  merry  twinkle  in 
his  eye.  "  So  must  children  have  their  fun.  Start  your  game, 
darter.  I'll  warrant  you  won't  put  them  up  to  any  harm." 


294  "Let  us  Eat,  Drink,  and  be  Merry." 

They  were  quickly  ranged  into  places  and  the  music  struck 
up— some  old,  soft,  sweet  Scotch  tunes,  which  take  all  the 
black  piano  keys ;  and  Mrs.  Dickey  showed  them  how  to  make 
the  changes,  which  they  did  with  light  steps  and  merry  faces, 
while  Mr.  Hethwaite  came  near  beating  the  time  of  "  Bonnie 
Doon."  That  was  once  a  favorite  air  of  his,  in  the  days 
when  he  used  to  pour  it  out  of  his  yellow  flute. 

"  There,  Parson,"  called  out  old  Mr.  Brandegee,  when  they 
had  finished,  "  what  do  you  think  of  eight  hands  round  ? 
Quite  a  neat  little  game,  isn't  it?" 

"  I  see  nothing  in  it  but  jumping  about." 

"  But  then  tisn't  wicked,  like  dancing,  you  know,"  replied 
the  old  gentleman,  winking  at  his  daughter. 

Mr.  Slaughton  went  over  to  his  wife,  who  was  standing 
in  a  corner,  looking  at  her  father  with  a  troubled  coun 
tenance. 

"  Do  you  always  pay  your  debts  with  such  interest  ?  "  asked 
he. 

"  I  am  afraid  the  measure  I  have  meted  will  be  measured 
to  me  again,"  said  she,  sighing.  "If  he  takes  little  Bettie,  I 
shall  be  too  miserable  to  live." 

"  But  why  should  he  ?  She  is  healthy  here,  and  he  must  see 
that  she  thrives." 

"  He  threatens  it ;  he  worries  my  mother  about  the  child's 
danger.  He  says  she  needs  training  ;  you  had  a  specimen  of 
•his  tender  discipline." 

A  thought  flashed  into  the  gentleman's  mind. 

"  Do  you  know  what  Betty  told  me  this  morning?  *  Uncle 
Sam,  I  wish  I  was  your  little  girl ! '  Can  it  be  that  she  is  afraid 
of  being  torn  from  you  ?  " 

"  She  has  experienced  some  sharp  reproofs,  you  know,  to-day, 
from  different  quarters.  She  looks  heavy-eyed  and  tired.  I 
think  I'll  try  to  steal  her  away  and  put  her  to  sleep." 

"  I  would.  Heigho  !  Life  isn't  a  bed  of  roses  for  anybody," 
he  added,  in  a  vexed  tone.  "  How  would  it  be  if  I  were  to  buy 


"Jack  and  Jill  Went  Up  the  Hill."  295 

your  pet  legally  ?  Then  I  might  resign  my  title  to  her,  and  you 
could  rest  in  peace." 

Perdita  experienced  a  strange  emotion.  The  idea  she  would 
not  permit  herself  to  harbor  had  also  dawned  on  him.  It  was 
certainly  most  remarkable,  and  exceedingly  thoughtful  and  kind. 

"  My  father  would  never  consent,  nor  would  your  mother " 

"  But  if  it  could  be  brought  about,  would  you  promise  me  a 
boon  ?  " 

"  What  boon  ?  " 

"  That  you  and  I  should  be  better  friends." 


CHAPTER  XLI. 

"JACK   AND   JILL   WENT   UP  THE   HILL." 

[ERDITA  was  very  fond  of  fowls.  When 
she  had  lived  at  home,  she  and  Teddy 
used  to  dry  apples  and  sell  them  to  buy 
rare  sorts ;  and  when  she  came  up  to  the 
mansion  house  her  brother  sent  after  her 
a  pair  of  peacocks  they  had  got  cheap, 
because  Jack  had  so  fine  a  tail  and  was  • 
so  fond  of  spreading  it  in  the  highway, 
that  he  frightened  the  horses  and  caused  accidents.  So  Farmer 
Batt  let  them  have  the  pair  for  three  dollars,  throwing  in  the 
hen  as  of  no  worth. 

"  We  might  eat  the  critters,"  explained  the  farmer.  "  They 
say  you  wouldn't  know  'em  from  turkey  ;  but  we've  got  a  big 
lot  of  poults  coming  on,  and  'tain't  no  object.  I  kinder  hate 
to  part  a  faithful  couple,  if  they  are  nothing  but  pea-fowl,  and 
I'm  glad  to  do  you  a  good  turn,  Perdita.  Your  pa  and  me,  we 


296  "Jack  and  Jill  Went  Up  the  Hill." 

used  to  be  cronies  together ;  man/s  the  night  we've  crep'  out 
of  the  wood-'us  winder,  to  steal  off  to  huskin's,  or  some  such 
shindigs.  Your  pa  used  to  be  chuck  full  of  the  old  boy  when 
he  was  young.  Land  !  I  can't  never  forget  seein'  him  go  down 
into  a  barrel  one  time,  on  account  of  the  head  breakin'  through, 
when  we  was  stealin'  grapes.  How  the  dust  did  fiy  !  And 
there  he  stood,  a  regular  jack-in-the-box.  That's  when  we  was 
as  full  of  sap  as  green  sugar-maple  in  March.  Tell  your  ma 
I'm  goin'  to  kill  next  week,  and  I'll  send  her  the  pluck." 

Jack  was  gorgeously  beautiful,  carrying  as  many  eyes  as  Argus, 
and  he  liked  everything  about  his  new  home  except  the  Houdan 
rooster.  With  him  he  had  a  feud  from  the  beginning,  which  he 
carried  on  in  the  most  original  manner.  He  would  go  behind 
his  enemy  whole  hours,  stepping  as  he  stepped,  keeping  him 
from  business  and  pleasure,  giving  him  no  time  to  rest,  scarcely 
allowing  himself  time  to  eat,  and  making  the  Houdan's  life  a 
burden  to  him. 

Dame  Slaughton's  thrift  was  outraged  by  the  habits  of  the 
strangers.  She  railed  at  their  gluttony,  their  horrid  voices,  and 
never  lost  an  opportunity  to  chase  them  from  the  window  under 
which  they  delighted  to  bask  in  the  sunshine,  speering  about 
for  such  tidbits  as  their  mistress  occasionally  flung  to  them. 
Neither  would  she  leave  them  at  peace  in  the  barn-yard.  She 
said  they  gobbled  what  was  meant  for  the  hens,  which  was  quite 
likely.  And  so  the  poor  things  took  to  roaming. 

Jill  soon  came  to  grief.  Cicely  Vance  conceived  a  fancy  to 
collect  feathers  ;  and  finding  she  could  run  down  the  clumsy 
bird,  and  tire  her  out,  so  that  she  would  drop  panting  in  her 
tracks,  she  chased  her  whenever  she  got  a  sly  chance,  and  she 
had  hoarded  quite  a  boxful  of  her  pretty  plumes,  when  one 
day  the  poor  thing  disappeared  entirely. 

Although  the  girl  heard  Perdita  lamenting  the  loss  of  her 
favorite,  she  did  not  tell  her  that  she  had  fallen  on  her  in  the 
heat  of  pursuit,  and  hurt  her  to  death,  and  that  she  had  her 
bonniest  spoils  laid  away. 


"Jack  and  Jill  Went  Up  the  Hill:'  297 

After  the  loss  of  his  dear  Jill,  Jack  wandered  up  and  down 
lamenting,  «and  calling  for  her  in  such  a  penetrating  screech, 
that  the  dame  grumbled  and  scolded  about  him  more  than 
ever  ;  and  as  he  was  often  absent  at  roosting  time,  he  was  a 
source  of  much  anxiety  to  his  mistress,  who  liked  to  count  her 
pets  and  know  that  each  was  properly  asleep  with  head  under 
wing,  when  the  sun  went  down. 

"  I  wonder  what  has  happened  to  Jack.  I  cannot  find  him 
anywhere  ;  I  have  not  seen  him  for  two  days.  I  have  hunted 
the  meadow  and  orchard  and  garden,"  said  Perdita  to  Hannah 
one  morning,  while  the  poultry  were  flocking  to  the  kitchen- 
door  for  their  treat  of  bread-crumbs. 

"And  a  mighty  small  loss,  /should  say,  if  you  never  see  him 
again,"  replied  the  dame.  "  I  hope  he  has  taken  his  squawks 
and  squalls  somewhere  else,  for  my  part ;  a  disagreeable  glut 
ton,  of  no  use  in  the  world." 

"  Except  to  give  me  pleasure,  ma'am,"  answered  Perdita 
quietly. 

"  Well !  'pears  to  me  a  married  woman  might  entertain  her 
self  with  her  work.  That's  what  I've  always  had  to  do.  I 
think  more  like  than  not,  Stephen  Batt  has  killed  the  old  thing. 
He  threatened  to  give  him  a  dose  of  salt  a  week  ago.  Slowgo 
told  me  he  complained  that  he  stole  the  oats  out  of  his  crib." 

"  Salt !  "  exclaimed  Perdita.  "  If  I  thought  he  hated  Jack 
that  much,  I  should  call  him  a  very  bad  neighbor  indeed." 

"I  don't  see  what  that  has  to  do  with  the  case.  Nobody 
wants  a  great  trampling  plague  around.  I  do  hate  guzzling 
beasts,  always  eating  when  they're  not  splitting  people's  ears 
with  their  noise.  I  don't  believe  in  keeping  anything  on  a 
farm  that  don't  pay — no  drones.  Now  what  are  you  smiling 
at  in  that  disagreeable  way,  I  should  admire  to  know  ?  " 

"  I  was  thinking  how  Darwin  tells  us  that  the  barbarians  of 
Terra  del  Fuego  kill  and  devour  their  old  women  in  time  of 
famine,  as  of  less  value  than  their  dogs,  whom  they  thus  pre 
serve  alive,"  replied  Perdita  disdainfully. 
13* 


298  "Jack  and  Jill  Went  Up  the  Hill:' 

Of  course  there  could  be  no  excuse  for  the  speech,  and  it 
was  the  greatest  pity  in  the  world  that  the  girl  did  not  bear  all 
the  nagging  and  badgering  she  got  without  letting  her  temper 
get  the  best  of  her.  As  she  went  swiftly  out  of  her  mother-in- 
law's  presence  into  the  hall,  she  ran  against  Mr.  Slaughton, 
who  was  laughing  softly,  in  spite  of  his  reverence  for  parents, 
at  the  quick  change  his  mother  had  received  for  her  tart 
speeches ;  and  he  also  scanned  admiringly  the  glowing  fresh 
ness  of  the  saucy  speaker,  who  made  no  effort  to  conceal  her 
passion. 

"  You  hit  rather  hard,  don't  you  ?  "  said  he,  as  she  stopped 
to  get  breath  and  apologize. 

"  I  am  already  ashamed  of  my  impudence,  and  I  am  going 
back  in  about  three  minutes  to  say  so.  I  must  get  over  my 
rage  first,  or  I  shall  make  bad  worse.  The  fact  is,  I  am  an 
noyed  about  my  poor  pea-fowls ;  Teddy  and  I  earned  them. 
Jill  is  dead  already,  and  I  shall  ask  my  brother  to  take  home 
Jack,  if  he  can  be  found,  which  is  doubtful." 

"  I  shall  be  sorry  to  have  you  do  that.  I  admire  the  mag 
nificent  fellow  as  much  as  he  does  himself,  and  that  is  saying  a 
good  deal.  Hello  !  here  he  comes  now." 

"  Oh,  I  am  glad  !  Jack !  Jack  !  Yes,  here  he  is.  I  must 
hasten  and  fetch  some  crumbs,"  said  Perdita,  stepping  swiftly 
and  airily  away. 

When  she  returned,  she  found  the  farmer  talking  with  her 
husband. 

"Slowgo  can  tell  you  what  became  of  Jill,"  said  Mr. 
Slaughton. 

"  Yes  mum,  but  I  don't  want  to  get  the  girl  into  no  trouble ; 
she  is  apt  to  chase  the  fowls,  and  yank  out  their  feathers,  and 
I  reckon  she  kinder  hurt  the  hen ;  in  fact,  she  tuckered 
her  clean  out,  and  she  stubbed  her  toe,  and  pitched  right  onto 
her,  and  I  spec  that's  what  killed  her." 

"  She  told  me  she  did  not  know  anything  about  her." 

"  Oh,  well,  mum,  she  knows  she  drapped ;  and  she  knows 


"Jack  and  Jill  Went  Up  the  Hill."  299 

she  t witched  out  her  tail-quills.  She  didn't  stop  to  see  what 
happened  arterwards ;  mebbe  she  thought  the  critter  was 
only  stunted,  and  got  up  again.  I  can't  say,  I'm  sure,  about 
that." 

The  farmer  walked  off  shaking  his  head  and  saying,  "I  can't 
tell ;  I  can't  tell ;  I  only  know  what  I  see,"  till  he  was  out  of 
hearing.  Mr.  Slaughton  waited  to  observe  his  wife,  and  he  was 
quite  surprised  to  see  her  eyes  fill  with"  tears,  and  a  hopeless 
look  drop  upon  her  face. 

"  I  am  afraid  I  cannot  reach  the  good  which  must  be  in  her. 
I  don't  know  how.  I  have  tried  so  hard.  If  I  could  only 
learn  where  to  come  at  any  tenderness.  If  I  could  only  make 
her  feel  sorry  or  glad  about  such  things  as  the  others  feel  sorry 
or  glad  for." 

"  I  will  not  have  your  life  troubled  with  this  good-for-naught 
girl.  I  will  pack  her  off  to  boarding-school." 

"  What !  and  lose  all  my  hard  work  ?  Not  yet,  if  you  please. 
I  must  not  give  up  yet ! "  answered  she,  much  comforted  by -his 
sympathy.  "There  surely  is  a  tender  place  somewhere.  If 
she  has  a  soul,  I  will  find  it.  I  am  not  so  perfect  that  I  can 
afford  to  cast  off  any  other  child  as  worthless.  I  do  not  love 
Cicely  Vance ;  I  cannot !  I  do  try  to  find  her  agreeable,  but 
she  repels  me.  She  says  she  loves  me.  I  know  better.  There 
is  a  secret,  sure  prompting  within  us  which  lets  us  know  without 
mistake  when  we  are  loved." 

"  Are  you  certain  of  that  ?"  Mr.  Slaughton  put  his  question 
in  a  hasty  way,  and  seemed  eager  for  her  answer. 

"  About  Cicely  ?"  Her  mind  was  full  of  the  child  ;  she  was  not 
thinking  in  the  least  of  him.  "Yes,  I  believe  I  am  right.  I 
wish  I  could  make  her  behave  !  If  I  keep  on  trying,  I  trust  I 
shall.  Now  I  must  go  and  say  '  I  am  sorry,'  and  that  does 
not  come  easy." 

"  Grandma,  dear  grandma,"  said  Cicely,  as  soon  as  Perdita 
had  left  the  kitchen,  '<  Oh,  I'm  so  affecshunut ;  yodll  let  me 
stay  and  see  Hannah  cook,  won't  you  ?  Aunty  says  servants 


300  "Jack  and  Jill  Went  Up  the  Hill." 

are  not  fit  company  for  me.  Hannah  won't  hurt  me,  will  she, 
grandma  ?  you  think  everything  of  Hannah,  don't  you  ?  " 

"  Hurt  you  !  Of  course  she  won't.  Pretty  teaching  that  is, 
I  should  say.  Don't  meddle  with  the  dough,"  added  the  dame, 
walking  off. 

"  You'll  give  me  a  seed-cake,  won't  you,  Hannah  ?  and  bake 
me  a  little  man  ?  I  think  you  are  ever  so  nice." 

"As  the  mistress  pleases.  I'm  puttin'  in  me  time,  anyway," 
answered  the  woman  curtly.  "  If  I'm  pisen,  I'd  best  leave ;  and 
I  think  I'll  be  tellin'  Miss  Perdita  so." 

"  Oh,  no,  don't.     She  didn't  say  exactly  that ;  don't  tell." 

"What  did  she  say,  and  what  didn't  she,  then  ?  Speak  now, 
will  'ee  ?  " 

"  She  said  the  parlor  was  the  place  for  me,  if  I  was  a  lady." 

"  Very  well  !  then  go  to  the  pailcr,  and  don't  be  blatherin'." 

"  You're  a  real  cross  old  thing  !  I  hate  you  !  "  retorted  Cicely, 
upsetting  all  the  cake-pans  and  tossing  the  wiping-towels  out  of 
the  window,  as  she  kicked  up  her  heels  in  an  uncouth  hop,  and 
departed,  munching  the  sweets  she  had  filched — the  raisins  and 
citron  and  sugar. 

"  My  judge  !  what  a  cow-caper  !  "  ejaculated  the  tormented 
cook  ;  "  if  I  ever  come  across  such  a  kelpie  !  My  dish-clouts  in 
the  mud,  and  my  patty-pans  rollin'  hither  and  yon,  the  thief  of 
the  world." 

When  the  kelpie  reached  the  parlor  she  found  her  grand 
mother  setting  up  some  rare  fans  in  the  corner,  and  that 
reminded  her  to  ask  a  question. 

"  Grandma,  will  salt  kill  peacocks  ?  " 

"  Yes,  if  you  can  get  them  to  eat  it." 

"  I  should  think  that  would  be  hard  work." 

"  It  can  be  done ;  hand  me  that  feather." 

"  How,  grandma  ?  " 

"  Mix  it  with  their  meal  ;  they'll  swallow  it  if  they  get  hungry 
enough.  I've  a  couple  of  minds  to  give  that  squalling  wretch 
a  dose.  There  he  goes  with  his  '  squehaw,'  enough  to  scare 


"Jack  and  Jill  Went  Up  the  Hill."  301 

the  owls.  And  serve  Miss  Impudence  right,  too.  Old  woman 
indeed!"' 

"  Dear  me !  this  lesson  is  so  hard.  I  can  never  learn 
it,"  groaned  Cicely,  making  a  piteous  face. 

"You  needn't,  then  !  Go  play!  she  is  entirely  too  severe. 
I  don't  approve  her  course  with  you.  Girls  are  crammed  with 
too  many  ologies  nowadays,  when  they  ought  to  be  learning  to 
sew  and  knit.  Here  you  can't  do  a  plain  overhand  seam." 

"  But  I  must  leai'n  my  lesson,  grandma,  or  I'll  have  fifty 
words  more,  added  to  these  twenty.  That's  the  way  she  does 
us.  We  have  to  get  five  words  out  of  the  dictionary  for  every 
little  thing.  I  wish  I  was  back  to  my  convent ;  there  I  only 
had  to  study  the  saints  and  the  prayers ;  they  always  let  us  off 
from  the  lessons." 

"You  poor,  abused  child !  Put  your  book  right  away  this 
instant.  I  won't  have  your  back  crooked  over  that  stuff  you 
can't  understand,  when  you  ought  to  be  playing  tag  out-doors. 
Does  your  head  ache  ?  " 

"  Yes,  grandma,  awfully  !     I  feel  real  sick." 

"Sick  !  Stick  out  your  tongue  !  You  must  have  a  dose  of 
elixir.  Now,  go  and  get  me  the  bottle  and  I'll  give  it  to  you 
right  away." 

"  Oh,  no,  grandma,  I'm  better  now ;  I  guess  it  was  looking 
at  the  letters  made  me  dizzy.  I'll  lie  down  on  the  sofa,  may  I, 
and  rest  a  little  while  ?  " 

"  Yes,  lie  down,  and  you  can  have  the  medicine  when  you 
go  to  bed.  There  !  Keep  this  wet  cloth  over  your  eyes." 

As  soon  as  the  Dame  was  fairly  out  of  sight,  Cicely  recover 
ed  her  health  suddenly  enough  to  make  a  first-class  miracle  for 
her  convent,  and  got  up  and  whisked  over  to  the  window. 
She  saw  her  uncle  and  aunt  and  Jack  outside,  and  her  blue 
eyes  retreated  into  their  caverns  with  a  thought  which  carne  to 
her  ;  and  after  they  were  gone  their  several  ways,  and  the 
coast  was  clear,  she  slipped  softly  to  the  pantry  and  emptied 
the  salt-box  into  her  hand  and  ran  with  nimble  legs  to  the 


302  "Jack  and  Jill  Went  Up  the  Hill." 

s 

barn-yard.  The  fowls  scattered  from  her  approach  in  all 
directions,  and  the  doves  beat  their  wings  with  a  whirr  as  they 
ascended  to  the  eaves.  There  they  looked  at  her  sideways 
out  of  their  pretty  pink  eyes,  and  cooed  in  safety. 

She  found  the  feed  dish,  into  which  she  threw  the  salt, 
stirring  it  round  with  the  meal,  and  wetting  it  from  the  horse- 
bucket  ;  and  though  she  was  quite  alone,  and  out  of  sight  and 
ear-shot  of  the  house,  she  looked  constantly  and  stealthily 
about  her,  while  she  waited  for  Jack. 

Presently  he  came,  spreading  his  feathers  to  the  sunshine. 

"Jack,  Jack,"  she  called  softly,  "come  here." 

He  stepped  with  slow  stateliness  towards  the  dish,  which  she 
set  on  the  ground  where  he  could  see  it,  dropping  his  plumes 
and  managing  his  tail  as  a  fine  lady  does  her  train. 

Jack  had  been  vagabondizing,  and  he  had  brought  home  an 
appetite  which  was  still  keen  and  sharp,  and  he  greedily 
devoured  the  mess,  not  pausing  till  the  basin  was  quite  empty, 
and  even  its  sides  were  cleaned. 

Cicely  sat  crouched  in  a  heap  on  the  ground,  and  although 
the  wind  was  keen  and  penetrating,  and  she  shivered  with  cold, 
she  waited  and  watched.  The  bird  went  about  as  usual,  hunt 
ing  for  grains,  and  selecting  such  as  looked  tempting.  Cicely 
lost  faith  in  the  virtue  of  salt.  She  supposed  he  would  have 
dropped  instantly  dead.  After  a  while  she  heard  Slowgo 
coming  down  the  drive-way ;  then  she  got  up  quickly  and 
hurried  out  of  sight.  All  day  she  thought  of  what  she  had 
done,  and  seemed  to  see  her  victim  writhing  in  torture ;  and 
she  trembled  to  think  what  might  be  the  consequences,  if  he  did 
die  and  she  was  found  out.  She  tried  to  brave  it  down,  with 
her  ready,  "I  don't  care.  Grandma  said  she'd  a  great  mind 
to  give  him  a  dose  ; "  and  she  threw  up  her  heels  with  a  kick 
and  a  caper  as  she  repeated  a  rhyme  she  had  picked  up  some 
where,  and  which  was  often  on  her  lips  : 

"  Whipping  don't  last  long; 
Scolding  don't  hurt  none  ; 
Kill  me  she  dassent. " 


"Jack  and  Jill  Went  Up  the  Hill."  303 

"I  don't  believe  Uncle  Sam  will  mind.  She  isn't  a  true 
aunty.  She's  only  a  governess,  anyhow.  I  heard  her  tell 
him  so,  and  he  didn't  contradict  her.  They  didn't  know  I  was 
listening.  I  always  used  to  listen  in  the  convent.  Sister 
Josephine  told  me  to  ;  I  heard  lots  of  things." 

Half  a  dozen  times  that  day  she  stole  down  to  look  about 
the  barn-yard  ;  and  at  last,  towards  evening,  she  stumbled  on 
Jack  right  in  her  path,  dead !  His  feet  were  drawn  up  and 
his  claws  twisted,  his  handsome  feathers  draggled  and  dirty, 
and  his  bright  eyes  glozed.  She  felt  wild  and  excited ;  cold 
chills  crept  over  her  as  she  stooped  to  draw  out  some  of  the 
the  pale  brown  feathers  from  his  under  wing,  which  she  especial 
ly  coveted ;  and  while  she  did  so,  she  experienced  the  same 
sort  of  desperate  terror  and  fury  which  maddens  a  murderer 
who  rifles  the  clothes  of  his  victim  in  search  of  the  spoil  which 
incited  him  to  the  deed.  If  Cicely  Vance  had  grown  up  an  aban 
doned  creature,  bloody  with  crimes,  she  could  only  have  inten 
sified  her  sensations  of  that  evening.  The  limp  hand  of  a  dead 
man,  dropping  from  her  grasp,  would  have  sent  the  blood  knock 
ing  with  the  same  thud  at  her  heart  as  she  felt  now,  when  Jack 
fell  back  on  the  ground,  a  dead  thing  whose  life  she  had 
stopped.  Cicely  had  learned  how  it  feels  to  kill  with  a  soul 
full  of  murderous  purpose. 

When  they  all  assembled  at  the  table,  the  dame  was  quite 
alarmed  by  the  pallid  face  of  her  granddaughter,  and  regretted 
that  she  had  not  given  her  the  Elixir  Pro. 

"  Why,  Cicely,  child  !  what  is  the  matter  with  you  ?  are  you 
worse — are  you  faint  ?  How  strange  your  eyes  do  look  !  as  if 
you  had  seen  a  ghost  !  " 

Perdita,  whose  attention  was  drawn  to  the  girl  by  these 
exclamations,  said  to  herself,  "What  piece  of  cruelty  has  she 
been  at  now  !  She  wears  a  visage  she  might  have  bought  from  a 
feast  of  the  ghouls.  I  wonder  is  it  another  crooked  pin  through 
Taffy's  tail  ?  or  has  she  strangled  one  of  the  kittens?" 

The  next  morning,  before  she  was  dressed,  she  heard  Bertram 


304  "Jack  and  Jill  Went  Up  the  Hill" 

screaming  under  her  window.  As  she  did  not  open  it,  the  enter 
prising  youngster  began  to  pelt  the  panes  with  pebbles.  She 
threw  up  the  sash,  and  looked  down.  She  had  a  cup  of  water 
in  her  hand,  and  she  was  smiling  archly,  her  face  full  of  merry 
mischief,  and  as  fresh  as  a  rose. 

"  Take  care,"  said  she,  "  how  you  disturb  my  slumbers.  I 
think  I  shall  sprinkle  you." 

"  You  will  sprinkle  Uncle  Sam  as  well,  then,"  answered  the 
lad.  "  See  what  we've  got." 

Putting  out  farther  her  head,  she  saw  that  early  gentleman, 
and  made  haste  to  set  down  the  cup  and  inquire  what  was 
wanting. 

"  I've  found  Jack  ;  he's  dead — dead  as  a  door-nail,  Slowgo 
says."  He  was  holding  the  bird  by  a  leg.  "  Poor,  handsome 
^Jack!"  said  Mr.  Slaughton  whimsically,  "  his  last  squehaw  is 
squehawed  ;  his  glory  is  departed." 

Perdita!s  eyes  flashed.  "  Both  killed,  are  they  ?  It  is  to  be 
hoped  somebody  feels  better." 

"  My  !  How  hard  his  crop  is  ! "  exclaimed  Bertram,  who  was 
kneeling  on  the  ground  beside  the  corpse. 

"  Hard,  is  it  ?  then  it  has  eaten  something  that  was  not 
good  for  it.  Wait  one  moment,  Bertram,  till  I  come 
down." 

She  ran  swiftly  to  the  barn,  bringing  back  the  feed-dish  in  her 
hand.  "There  !"  said  she,  showing  it  to  Mr.  Slaughton,  "just 
put  your  finger  on  that  and  taste  it !  Well,  what  is  it  ?  " 

"  Salt,"  replied  the  gentleman,  spitting  out  the  result  of  his 
trial,  "  salt,  plain  enough." 

"  Now,  the  question  is,  which  of  the  two  did  it  ?  " 

It  game  to  Mr.  Slaughton's  lips  to  ask  "  Which  two?  "  But 
he  thought  better  of  it ;  and  Perdita,  after  instructing  Bertram 
to  carry  the  poor  fellow  away  and  beg  of  Stephen  to  bury  him  ; 
walked  into  the  house. 

When  they  were  seated  at  the  breakfast-table,  Bertram  began 
to  talk  about  Jack,  his  head  being  full  of  the  subject — wonder- 


"Jack  and  Jill  Went  Up  the  Hill."  305 

ing  and  guessing  ;  telling  how  he  looked,  and  ho\v  heavy  he  was, 
and  where  he  found  him. 

"  Do  you  know  who  killed  Jack,  Cicely  ?  "  asked  Perdita. 

"  Well,  I  do  declare  !  what  will  you  put  on  that  child  next  ?  " 
spoke  up  the  dame  tartly.  "Why don't  you  ask  her  who  killed 
the  old  ram  they  found  down  in  the  hollow  the  other  day  ?  " 

Perdita  kept  her  eyes  fixed  on  Cicely  during  this  speech. 
The  resplendent  color  had  mounted  in  her  face  till  she  glowed 
like  a  rosy  sunset. 

"  I  asked  you  a  question  ;  did  you  hear  it  ?"  She  said  again, 
"  Do  you  know  who  killed  Jack  ?  " 

"  No,  aunty,  of  course  I  don't ;  how  could  I  know  ?  I  haven't 
seen  him  for  ever  so  long." 

"You  did  not  feed  him  salt,  then  ?  " 

"  Salt !  "  put  in  the  dame  ;  "  what  about  salt  ?  " 

a  Only  this  ;  you  taught  your  grandchild,  who  sits  there  beside 
you,  that  salt  would  kill  fowls.  There  has  been  salt  in  the  feed- 
dish,  and  my  peacock  is  dead." 

"Why  don't  you  ask  if  I  killed  the  beast  myself." 

"  Quod  facet  per  allium  facet  per  se,"  replied  Perdita.  "I 
have  heard  of  tell-tale  blushes.  What  do  you  think  of  those 
for  a  sample  ?  "  pointing  to  Cicely. 

After  enduring  the  scrutiny  of  the  table  an  instant  longer, 
the  girl  burst  into  tears.  "  I  didn't  do  it.  I  don't  know  any 
thing  about  him,"  she  sobbed,  with  her  face  in  her  hands. 

"  You  had  better  finish  your  oat-meal,  Cicely,"  suggested 
Perdita  quietly;  "you  will  be  hungry  before  long." 

Not  another  word  was  said  on  the  subject  during  breakfast. 
The  dame  treated  Cicely  as  a  suffering  innocent,  and  looked 
very  glum  and  grim  at  her  daughter-in-law,  who  chatted  with 
the  children  and  listened  to  them  with  much  of  her  accustomed 
sympathizing  attention. 

Mr.  Slaughton  followed  her  into  the  library.  "What  will 
you  do  with  that  horrible  child  ?  "  asked  he  with  intense  disgust ; 
"  that  young  Vance  ?" 


306  "Jack  and  Jill  Went  Up  the  Hill." 

"  I  will  try  to  make  her  sorry  for  what  she  has  done,"  she 
replied. 

"  I  shall  go  to  Toptown  to-morrow  and  order  half  a 
dozen  pairs  of  pea-fowl,  and  I  will  add  as  many  gold  and  silver 
pheasants,  if  you  will  take  them  in  place  of  Jack  and  Jill,  so 
4  foully  murdered.'  " 

"Thank  you,  not  for  me.  My  pets  thrive  ill  here.  I  don't 
want  any  more  ; "  she  left  him  and  walked  half  the  length  of 
the  hall,  then  turned  and  retraced  her  steps. 

"  It  was  kind  of  you  to  think  of  that ;  I  am  not  ungrateful." 
Her  voice  was  constrained,  and  she  hardly  looked  at  him  as 
she  spoke,  and  she  did  not  seem  to  expect  any  reply,  as  she 
stayed  not  to  hear  what  he  might  say. 

He  smoked  out  his  cigar  and  pondered  over  the  events  of 
the  morning,  and  his  young  wife's  carriage  and  demeanor  from 
the  instant  when  she  thrust  her  pretty  head  from  her  window, 
and  he  so  narrowly  escaped  a  sprinkling  ;  and  on  his  mother's 
very  evident  partiality  for  Cicely  ;  and  debated  in  his  mind 
whether  or  no  he  ought  to  interfere,  and  almost  felt  as  if  he  had 
and  would.  But  each  whiff  of  his  cigar  puffed  away  the 
shadowy  resolutions  which  had  been  trying  to  get  strength 
out  of  his  purpose  to  materialize  into  action,  when  suddenly 
he  heard  Perdita's  voice  in  the  new  conservatory  calling 
"Sam." 

Although  he  understood  perfectly  well  that  it  was  the  dog 
she  was  speaking  to,  he  thought  best  to  appear. 

Cicely  Vance,  with  a  watering-pot  in  her  hand,  was  busily 
helping  "Aunty,"  so  "  affecshunut,"  and  showing  no  remorse, 
no  shame,  nothing  but  unclouded  self-satisfaction. 

"  Oh !  "  remarked  Mr.  Slaughton  in  a  low  voice.  "  so  this 
is  your  method  of  awakening  contrition,  is  it  ?  Well,  how  does 
it  succeed  ?  " 

"  As  you  see  ;  careless,  noisy,  light-headed ;  when  pushed 
into  a  corner  from  whence  there  was  no  escape,  she  confessed 
that  she  killed  Jack.  I  asked  her  why,  and  she  replied 


"Jack  and  Jill  Went  Up  the  Hill."  307 

as  usual,  '  I  dunno,'  and  her  manner  said,  '  I  don't  care.' 
When  I  threatened  her  with  punishment,  the  loss  of  her  holi 
day,  and  an  afternoon  alone  in  the  school-room,  locked  up, 
she  fell  on  her  knees  and  begged  in  such  abject  abasement  of 
mind  and  body  that  I  hated  to  look  at  her.  When  she  felt  in 
no  more  danger,  she  wiped  her  eyes,  and  asked  me  for  a  new 
bracelet,  or  "  bangles,"  as  she  called  them,  with  bells.  Look 
at  her  !  do  you  suppose  she  has  a  soul  ?  I  feel  as  if  she  must 
be  something  uncanny,  a  water-ugly,  a  changeling.  She 
makes  me  chilly." 

I  While  they  were  talking  there  came  a  dreadful  crash  up-stairs, 
mingled  with  terrific  screams.  They  rushed  to  the  scene  of 
tumult,.which  proved  to  be  the  nursery. 

This  room  had  been  furnished  with  the  old-fashioned  things 
which  were  from  time  to  time  rejected  of  the  rest  of  the  house. 
An  ancient  bureau,  with  a  deep  drawer  at  the  top,  stood  in  one 
corner.  On  it  was  an  old  clock,  besides  books,  baskets,  dolls, 
playthings,  and  all  sorts  of  heterogeneous  articles  for  use  and 
amusement. 

Bertram  had  induced  Pandora,  without  much  coaxing,  to 
seat  her  plump  little  self  in  the  half-opened  "upper  drawer," 
where  she  was  supposed  to  represent  the  old  woman  living  in 
her  shoe,  who  had  so  many  children  she  didn't  know  what  to 
do.  But  before  she  had  got  so  far  as  to  whip  them  all  soundly, 
the  whole  thing  tilted  forward,  like  Mrs.  Gamp's  chest  of 
drawers,  upsetting  the  clock,  which  was  not  able  to  come  to 
time,  spilling  off  baskets,  dolls,  etc.,  and  disturbing  materially 
the  housekeeping  of  the  numerous  family  supposed  to  be  in  the 
various  stages  of  butter  and  bread  and  the  rest,  and  scaring 
the  adventurous  children  half  out  of  their  wits. 

As  soon  as  Perdita  ascertained  that  nobody  was  hurt,  she 
laughed  merrily,  and  her  enjoyment  of  the  odd  scene  was  rather 
increased  by  the  appearance  of  the  dame's  head  in  the  door 
way,  and  her  rueful  manner  of  regarding  the  confusion. 

"  Well,  young  ones,"  said  she  in  a  resigned  voice,  "  if  you 


308  "Woman's  Book  is  the  World." 

leave  the  walls  all  standing,  and  don't  tear  the  hard  finish  off 
the  cellar,  it  will  be  more  than  1  can  reasonably  expect." 

"  These  outrageous  pranks  don't  seem  to  spoil  your  temper," 
said  Mr.  Slaughter!  to  his  amused  wife. 

"  No  ;  I  must  confess  that  I  find  them  entertaining  ;  natural, 
original,  noisy  children  are  always  wonderful  to  me.  I  never 
had  any  such  license  in  my  tender  years.  I  can  bear  anything 
but  deceit  and  falseness." 


CHAPTER   XLII. 
"  WOMAN'S  BOOK  is  THE  WORLD." 


NE  bright,  sunny  morning  Mrs.  Richard 
Pritchard  and  her  mother  drove  over  the 
hills  to  spend  the  day.  Mrs.  Richard 
was  a  fearless  horsewoman,  and  she  had 
in  hand  a  span  of  colts  which  she  had 
herself  trained  to  harness. 

"  Are  you  strong  enough  to  manage 
those  wild  creatures  without  any  men  to 

protect  you  ? r>  asked  Perdita,  who  happened  to  be  the  first  to 
welcome  the  guests. 

"  Why  should  anybody  protect  me  from  my  colts.  They  know 
me.  They  don't  like  or  respect  me  any  the  less  because  I 
speak  to  them  in  a  soft  voice,  and  wear  petticoats,"  replied  the 
lively  lady,  laughing.  "  They  don't  pattern  after  your  sex 
there,  exactly,  do  they,  Mr.  Slaughton  ? "  she  added  as  she 
shook  hands  with  the  host,  who  came  hastening  out  to  meet 
his  mother's  friends. 

"/  like  soft  voices  of  all  music  in  the  world;  and  I  admire 
the  drapery  you  are  pleased  to  call  petticoats,  when  such 


"  Woman's  Book  is  the  World."  309 

women  as  you  wear  it,  Dickey,  in  those  simple  flowing  lines  ; 
and  as  to  your  horses,  I  should  not  wonder  at  anything  you 
might  do  with  them,  your  skill  is  so  patent  and  so  famous." 

"  Do  you  mean  that  as  a  compliment,  or  a  sneer  ?  " 

"  Neither  ;    I  state  a  fact." 

The  two  old  ladies  settled  to  a  good  long  neighborly  crooning 
over  their  knitting,  and  Mrs.  Dickey  pursued  a  study  she  had 
begun  at  the  Thanksgiving  feast,  of  the  pair  whose  position 
towards  each  other  excited  her  curiosity.  She  was  very  chatty 
and  pleasant,  and  Perdita  watched  her  and  listened  to  her  with 
exceeding  interest  as  anew  species  of  the  genus  mulier  ;  and  the 
ceaseless  flow  of  talk  between  her  and  the  house-master  aston 
ished  her.  It  was  the  first  opportunity  she  had  had  of  seeing 
him  in  the  company  of  another  woman,  young,  pretty,  and  ac 
complished,  whom  he  took  the  trouble  to  entertain.  There  had 
been  some  talking  during  the  library  evenings  ;  but  if  she  had 
ever  made  up  any  opinion  concerning  his  conversation,  she 
would  have  thought  him  decidedly  a  quiet  man,  not  given  to 
chatter.  To-day  he  paid  compliments,  talked  art,  told  stories, 
laughed  a  good  deal ;  he  even  sang  some  songs  to  Mrs. 
Dickey's  accompaniment. 

Perdita  felt  rather  bewildered,  as  if  she  was  making  a  new 
acquaintance.  She  began  to  be  afraid  of  the  garrulous  gentle 
man,  ill  at  ease  with  the  lively  lady,  whom  she  wondered  at  and 
admired  ;  afraid  of  her  smooth  manners,  her  good  looks,  her 
practised  smartness. 

Mr.  Slaughton  watched  his  wife  closely ;  and  when  Mrs. 
Pritchard  appealed  to  her,  he  listened  for  her  replies.  They 
were  never  silly ;  often  laconic ;  once  or  twice,  bright  and 
playful ;  then  he  smiled  within  his  mustache,  secretly  pleased. 

When  the  bouquet-making  took  her  to  the  dining-room  he 
lost  himself  in  reveries,  and  paid  less  attention  to  Mrs.  Pritch- 
ard's  conversation,  which  fact  the  shrewd  widow  discovered  and 
sniffed  at.  "  I  am  useful  to  make  talk,  but  his  wife  is  his  in 
spiration  ;  she  is  absent  in  the  flesh,  and  his  spirit  follows  hers." 


310  "Woman's  Book  is  the  World." 

Perdita  returned  soon.  It  was  polite  of  her  to  come  ;  but  I 
doubt  if  politeness  alone  would  have  brought  her.  I  think  she 
felt  drawn  by  curiosity,  interest,  or  some  unacknowledged 
motive.  She  had  hardly  entered  the  doorway  when  Mr.  Slaugh- 
ton  rose  with  more  briskness  then  he  commonly  showed,  being, 
as  we  know,  rather  slow — rather  given  to  sauntering. 

"  Come  upstairs  to  the  studio,  Dickey,"  said  he ;  "I  want 
to  show  you  my  two  pictures.  They  are  the  best  things  of  my 
life.  I  have  been  looking  them  over  this  morning  ;  I  mean  to 
have  them  in  the  Toptown  exhibition  " 

"  Your  best  efforts,  are  they.  Oh,  yes,  dear  Mrs.  Slaughton, 
no  new  sight  to  you,  these  wonderful  masterpieces  ;  but  we  will 
try  to  pick  some  flaws,  point  out  some  weak  spots,  shall  we  ?  " 

Perdita' s  face  had  been  lighted  with  smiles  ;  a  dark  cloud 
dropped  instantly  upon  it,  her  eyes  flashed,  her  lip  curled  with 
proud  scorn.  She  withdrew  from  the  caressing  fingers  with 
which  Mrs.  Dickey-sought  to  draw  her  towards  her — she  was 
never  pleased  with  the  touch  of  stranger  hands  ;  and  as  she 
answered  the  invitation  with  which  her  husband  seconded  the 
widow,  there  was  a  slight  tremble  of  sorrow,  of  mortification  in 
her  voice. 

"  She  resents  my  being  asked  first ;  she  is  jealous,  silly  child," 
thought  Mrs.  Pritchard,  who  had  felt  the  slight  repulse  she  had 
received, 

"  Don't  you  take  interest  in  pictures  ?  "  asked  she. 

"  One  may  take  an  interest  in  them,  and  not  desire  to  see 
them." 

"  I  don't  understand  that;  please  explain." 

"  You  may  set  down  my  speech  as  idle  words,  which  need  no 
explanation,  and  do  not  let  me  detain  you." 

Mrs.  Pritchard  bowed  and  stepped  after  the  artist,  who 
mounted  the  stairs. 

As  they  ascended,  Perdita  pursued  them  with  her  eyes  and 
thoughts. 

"  He  will  show  her  the  two  pictures  of  his  first  love  I     And 


"  Woman's  Book  is  the  World."  311 

did  he  for  one  instant  dream  that  I  would  go  up  there  and 
stand  beside,  his  beauty,  that  he  might  observe  the  contrast — 
the  brow  of  Egypt  on  this  ^ide  ;  on  that,  his  golden-haired 
Sabrina !  Yes  !  the  best  pictures  he  ever  made  in  his  life, 
because  he  put  the  worship  of  his  life  into  them — his  truest  soul 
— the  soul  in  which  I  have  no  share." 

When  the  two  descended  they  found  Perdita  by  the  window, 
with  both  arms  around  Bettine,  who  stood  on  the  window-sill, 
and  leaned  her  small  head  on  her  sister's  shoulder. 

"  I  do  believe  you  idolize  that  child ! "  exclaimed  Mrs. 
Pritchard. 

"  She  satisfies  me,  and  I  am  all  she  needs.  I  am  comfort, 
helper,  companion  and  friend." 

"  You  cannot  be  much  more  to  your  husband  ;  I  should 
think  he  would  get  jealous  of  the  fondness  you  lavish  on  her." 

Perdita  smiled  such  a  bitter  smile,  and  she  held  still  closer 
the  mite  who  struggled  to  be  free. 

"  I  want  to  go  to  Uncle  Sam,"  she  whispered.  "  See,  he  is 
crooking  his  finger  at  me.  Oh,  Perdita,  you  squeeze  me  too 
hard  !  you  hurt  me  !  " 

After  a  strange  look  into  the  pleading  face  lifted  to  hers,  she 
opened  her  arms,  and  the  little  fairy  ran  to  her  other  friend, 
who  received  her  gladly,  and  also  showed  a  measure  of  triumph 
at  his  success. 

"  You  give  up  your  treasure  easily,  and  she  seems  quite  anx 
ious  to  leave  you,  considering  that  you  are  all  she  needs.  I 
wonder  you  did  not  hold  her  fast,"  remarked  Mrs.  Dickey,  with 
a  spice  of  malice,  while  she  admired  the  graceful,  flitting  motion 
of  the  child,  and  the  cuddling  sweetness  with  which  she  settled 
into  the  arms  of  the  strong  man  who  held  her. 

"  I  do  not  desire  to  keep  the  body  when  the  heart  is  yonder," 
replied  Perdita. 

The  dame  called  Mrs.  Pritchard  to  come  and  look  at  her  new 
tidy  ;  and  as  she  left  them,  Mr.  Slaughton  said,  half  in  play, 
half  in  earnest : 


312  "  Woman's  Book  is  the  World. ' ' 

"  Betty,  tell  your  sister  you  have  full  room  in  your  heart  for 
two  loves." 

"  That  sounds  odd  from  a  man  who  is  so  constant  in  his 
friendships  as  well  as  his  deeper  affections,  that  he  believes  in 
one  undying,  unchangeable  love,  outlasting  all  time,"  replied 
Perdita,  as  she  sat  down  with  a  fixed,  cold  countenance,  and 
waited  impatiently  for  her  darling  to  return  of  her  own  will  to 
her  embrace. 

She  chafed  in  secret,  and  coveted  all  the  bright  smiles  and 
cunning  caresses  Betty  gave  to  the  man  who  seemed  able  to 
draw  to  himself  whatever  he  desired.  Even  the  dog  Sam  would 
sometimes  desert  her  to  fawn  on  him. 

Then,  as  she  watched  him,  there  came  a  new  sort  of  satisfac 
tion  that  the  one  beautiful  woman  whom  he  had  wished  to  win 
had  turned  away  from  him.  It  was  such  an  unworthy  thought 
that  she  could  not  harbor  it  long,  and  she  felt  ashamed  and 
dropped  her  eyes,  as  if  he  might  have  read  it  there,  and  despised 
her  for  it. 

Mrs.  Richard  Pritchard  finished  her  visit  without  arriving  at 
any  definite  conclusions  as  to  the  status  of  the  married  pair. 
In  fact,  she  was  more  puzzled  than  ever.  She  found  the  young 
wife  an  interesting  study,  and  she  considered  her  jealous.  Mr. 
Slaughton,  in  reviewing  her  conduct,  her  refusal  to  visit  his 
studio  in  the  widow's  company,  etc.,  would  have  been  glad  to 
set  it  down  to  jealousy,  because  jealousy  includes  love  ;  but  he 
found  no  sufficient  grounds  for  such  an  opinion. 


How  Near  to  Good  is  What  is  Fair."         313 


CHAPTER  XLIII. 

"HOW    NEAR   TO    GOOD    IS    WHAT    IS    FAIR." 

— EMERSON. 


[EVERAL  days  had  passed,  when  Malcolm 
came  up  to  the  Mansion  House,  lugging 
a  basket,  upon  which  he  carefully  held 
down  the  cover. 

"  What  have  you  got  there  ?  "  inquired 
his  sister,  espying  him  from  her  window, 
and  running  down  the  walk  to  meet  him. 
"  Are  you  in  the  rag  and  bottle  line  ?  " 

"  Not  much.  There's  a  couple  of  rabbits  in  this  contriv 
ance,"  said  he,  placing  his  burden  on  the  ground,  and  setting 
his  foot  upon  it,  while  he  wiped  the  sweat  from  his  face.  "  It's 
heavy,  I  tell  you  !  About  as  good  a  weight  as  I  want  to  carry 
up-hill." 

He  lifted  the  lid,  that  he  might  indulge  her  with  a  peep. 
"  I  bought  them  of  Jack  Batt,  for  my  best  dog-knife  and  that 
pair  of  stilts  father  told  me  to  chop  up.  Look,  Perdita ! 
They've  got  young  ones.  I  never  saw  any  like  them  ;  these  two 
are  as  much  the  color  of  our  old  Maltese  cat  as  if  they  were 
her  kittens.  I  saved  them  for  Bettine's  birthday.  You  know 
you  said  you  meant  to  remember  it  this  year  and  give  her  a 
present." 

"  Oh,  what  a  dear  boy  you  are,  Malcolm  !  Yes,  we  will 
have  anniversaries  and  festivals,  like  other  folks,  now  that  I've 
no  lawgiver  over  me  to  forbid  them  and  call  them  "  tomfoolery  " 
and  stupid  nonsense.  How  pretty  they  are,  sticking  their 
heads  out  of  the  straw.  What  great  ears  !  and  such  soft  slate- 
color — the  real  subdued  mouse.  How  delighted  Betty  will  be ! 
14 


314          "How  Near  to  Good  is  What  is  Fair.'' 

Stay,  though,"  she  added,  knitting  her  brows  ;  "  I  don't  know  as 
you  had  best  leave  them  after  all ;  my  pea-fowls  are  dead.  I 
am  afraid  they  won't  fare  any  better." 

"  I  must  leave  them,  Perdita,"  replied  Malcolm,  much  dis 
appointed.  "  Father  will  have  them  killed  and  cooked,  if  I 
take  them  home.  Mother  said  so.  She  told  me  to  fetch  them 
right  away  this  morning,  so  as  to  make  sure  of  Betty's  getting 
them  alive." 

"  Poor  mother !  how  cruel  it  would  be  to  force  her  to  roast 
your  rabbits  !  I  know  he  would  do  it,  and  devour  them  with 
relish  afterwards.  That  shall  not  happen,  however.  We  will 
take  our  chance.  Betty's  pleasure  is  too  pretty  a  sight  to  lose  ; 
everybody  had  best  leave  them  alone.  But  where  shall  we 
put  them?" 

"  I'll  make  a  hutch.  I  suppose  you  can  find  a  box  some 
where,  and  give  me  some  nails  and  a  hammer?  " 

"There's  one  that  the  china  came  in.  Wait  till  I  wrap  up 
Betty,  and  we  will  all  go  down  to  the  barn  together." 

There  could  not  have  been  a  happier  child  in  the  world,  that 
day,  than  Bettine  Hethwaite.  She  defied  the  cold  while  she 
watched  the  young  mechanic,  and  the  leather  hinges  were  nailed 
on  to  the  door  of  the  hutch,  and  the  wooden  button  screwed  to 
its  place,  and  the  straw  strewn  over  the  floor,  and  the  rabbits 
began  to  jump  about  and  examine  their  new  home,  before  she 
could  be  coaxed  away  from  them,  they  seemed  to  her  so  pre 
cious  and  beautiful. 

She  brought  Mr.  Slaughton  first  of  all  to  behold  and  admire  ; 
then  the  children,  timidly,  but  with  great  pride  of  possession  ; 
she  flitted  among  them,  and  piped  in  their  ears  her  small  voice, 
a  little  silver  thread  of  music. 

Such  a  rich  owner  !  her  father's  "  all  things  "  would  have  been 
but  a  superfluous  addition  to  her  bliss,  the  measure  of  her  enjoy 
ment  being  full  to  the  brim. 

"  Mine,  Pandora  !  Mine,  Bertram  !  Malcolm  brought  them 
in  a  basket !  Mine  !  all  mine  !  the  black  ones  and  the  white 


"How  Near  to  Good  is  What  is  Fair"         315 

ones,  and  the  spotted  ones  and  the  beautiful  blue  ones.  Oh,  I 
love  the  blu'e  ones  best  of  all !  I  love  Malcolm  !  I  love  Per- 
dita  !  I  love  everybody." 

Each  morning,  for  a  week,  she  made  them  a  visit.  Once, 
when  it  was  too  blustering  for  such  a  wee  tender  thing  to  walk 
abroad,  Uncle  Sam  carried  her  in  his  strong  arms,  and  he  set 
up  his  foot  on  a  saw-horse  to  make  a  seat  of  his  knee,  that  she 
might  enjoy  at  her  ease ;  and  the  two  gazed  down  at  the  pets, 
who  ate  and  listened,  and  scampered,  and  then  listened  some 
more  ;  and  when  they  chased  each  other  all  around  the  pen, 
and  sat  up  and  washed  their  faces,  and  old  Bunnie  got  so  tarn  e 
as  to  rise  on  her  hind  legs  and  take  cabbage  from  the  mite's 
hand,  it  became  too  wonderful  and  overwhelming !  Her  joy 
rose  to  ecstasy. 

Uncle  Sam  was  late  to  breakfast,  and  his  cheeks  were  red 
with  running,  when  he  finally  did  come ;  and  as  he  lifted  Betty 
into  her  chair  at  her  sister's  right  hand,  she  said  in  a  soft 
whisper  : 

"  Oh,  Perdita  !  I  love  Uncle  Sam,  and  he  loves  my  rabbits." 

The  dame  sniffled  and  grumbled,  but  nobody  seemed  dis 
turbed  by  her  muttenngs.  Mr.  Slaughton  applied  himself  to 
his  cutlets  with  amazing  relish,  and  he  winked  at  Betty  over 
his  coffee  cup ;  and  Betty's  little  elfin  laugh  rang  out  as  she 
caught  the  token  and  returned  it  with  both  eyes,  and  she  ate  all 
her  oat-meal  and  cream,  and  asked  for  more. 

Bertram  had  a  pair  of  squirrels  which  cunning  Stephen  had 
snared,  which  could  turn  their  wheel  so  fast  that  you  couldn't 
see  the  wires,  and  he  offered  to  trade  them  for  the  Maltese 
pussies ;  finding  no  bargain  could  be  struck  on  that  basis,  he 
threw  in  a  couple  of  white  mice  ;  still  she  shook  her  head,  and 
said,  "  No,  oh,  no  !  I  cannot,  I  cannot  give  you  my  pretty 
things,  which  Malcolm  gave  me." 

Cicely  Van.ce  went  pretty  often  to  gaze  at  the  collection,  and 
she  stole  seed-cakes  to  entice  them  with  ;  and  her  eyes  retreat 
ed  into  their  caverns  sometimes,  while  she  watched  them  and 


316     "A  Rose  with  Sweetest  Leaves  Yet  Folded" 

looked  at  Betty  ;  but  she  was  "  so  affecshunut "  to  the  dame, 
that  it  seemed  as  if  she  had  some  plan  in  her  blonde  head  which 
needed  only  opportunity  and  time  to  climax. 


CHAPTER  XLIV. 

"  A  ROSE  WITH  ALL  ITS  SWEETEST  LEAVES  YET  FOLDED." 


|R.  SLAUGHTON'S  emotions  had  been 
quite  diverse  since  that  25th  of  Sep 
tember  which  was  a  good  day  to  be 
married  on.  He  was  humble  enough 
now  to  wish  to  woo  this  wife  he  had  so 
despised  and  slighted  in  the  parlor  of  the 
old  parsonage,  and  meant  to  win  her,  if 
his  good  angel  would  but  teach  him  how. 
He  confessed  that  much  to  himself — only  to  himself,  however ; 
but  though  he  covered  his  feelings  under  his  habitual  easy  bon 
homie,  they  would  come  to  the  surface  in  looks  and  actions 
really  unmistakable.  Even  Perdita,  settled  in  her  belief,  built 
on  what  she  knew,  had  felt  more  than  once  or  twice  the  mag 
netism  a  true  friendliness  must  communicate  to  its  object,  and 
had  yielded  to  its  power. 

She  had  been  on  her  guard  and  reserved,  it  is  true,  and  he 
found  her  so  pleasant  even  thus,  that  often  as  the  question  had 
trembled  on  his  lips,  "  When  shall  our  interests  be  one  ?  When 
shall  this  mock  marriage  be  a  true  marriage  ?  "  he  had  found 
no  pat  and  proper  time  to  risk  it.  Even  in  the  few  moments 
when  she  had  been  genial  and  merry  in  his  company,  he  dared 
not  dash  his  pleasure  in  her  by  words  which  might  alarm  or 
offend  her,  and  so  take  her  out  of  his  orbit  and  influence. 


"A  Rose  with  Sweetest  Leaves  Yet  Folded''1     317 

His  home  was  becoming  truly  charming.  The  library,  light 
ed  and  warm-,  was  a  pleasant  resort  of  evenings ;  and  the  slight, 
dark,  lustrous  lady  who  sat  by  the  table  was  an  absorbing  study 
— ever  fresh  and  ever  new — and  he  began  to  consider  himself 
quite  a  family  man  when  the  children  gathered  around  him  with 
their  books  and  games ;  he  felt  his  easy-chair  remarkably  easy, 
and  he  positively  enjoyed  -his  cigar  better  before  that  cosy 
wood  fire  than  in  his  den  of  a  studio. 

Since  the  visit  of  Mrs.  Richard  Pritchard,  an  impassable  bar 
rier  seemed  raised  between  the  pair  she  took  so  much  pains  to 
study  ;  so  that  he  could  neither  engage  his  wife's  attention, 
enlist  her  sympathies,  or  approach  her  as  familiarly  as  before. 
She  lived  more  within  herself,  she  talked  less,  smiled  less.  It 
seemed  to  him  she  was  restless,  ill-poised,  and  he  often  felt  that 
the  unchanging  routine  of  her  daily  life  was  irksome.  Even 
Bettine's  presence  failed  to  fill  her  with  satisfaction. 

The  two  pictures  in  the  studio  were  rarely  out  of  her 
thoughts  ;  and  she  scarcely  ever  looked  at  her  husband  or  heard 
his  voice  without  thinking  how  careless  of  her,  how  unnecessa 
rily  unkind  he  had  wished  to  be,  when  he  would  have  brought 
her  face  to  face  with  the  "  best  works  of  his  life." 

His  declaration  that  they  were  so  sounded  almost  coarse  to 
her — it  made  so  little  of  the  ties  which  bound  him,  and  an 
nounced  so  offensively  his  disregard  for  them. 

She  wondered  what  had  been  the  conversation  of  the  artist 
and  his  guest  while  they  stood  before  his  "  best  works  " — if  he 
had  talked  about  Sabrina  Bradshaw — how  he  loved  her  !  how 
he  lost  her  ! 

She  turned  the  theme  over  and  over  and  dwelt  on  it,  and  was 
morbid,  and  bitter,  and  proud,  and  sometimes  angry,  some 
times  sad,  altogether  estranged  and  unhappy. 

It  seemed  a  pity  that  she  had  not  accepted  his  invitation  that 
day.  It  seemed  a  pity  that  he  could  not  guess  her  thoughts 
now. 

It  is  most  fortunate,  generally,  that  our  best  and  dearest 


3i8      "A  Rose  with  Sweetest  Leaves  Yet  Folded" 

friends  are  not  able  to  know  what  we  think  of  them  ;  but  there 
are  moments  when  soul-reading  would  be  a  blessing,  saving 
unhappiness  and  averting  mistakes. 

The  young  people  from  the  parsonage  were  at  the  mansion 
house  occasionally,  though  their  sister  did  not  encourage  very 
frequent  visits  ;  and  Mr.  Slaughton  became  much  interested  in 
the  young  fellow  Teddy,  finding  him  a  retiring,  modest  scholar, 
forever  poring  over  a  book,  and  reading  aloud  in  an  absent, 
absorbed  way  such  scraps  as  happened  especially  to  interest  him. 

Really,  it  must  be  confessed  that  all  which  pertained  to  the 
black-browed,  dark-haired  girl,  who  had  seemed  to  him  so 
unbearable  and  forbidding,  was  assuming  wonderful  interest 
and  importance  in  his  mind,  so  that  he  was  often  able  to  see 
objects  and  aims  through  her  eyes. 

The  close  friendship  between  this  brother  and  sister  had 
ripened  with  their  separation,  and  being  unpretending  and 
unaggressive,  it  pleased  Mr.  Slaughton  as  a  natural  outgo  of 
very  warm  feelings.  Sallie  Vance  had  never  been  to  him  what 
Perdita  was  to  Teddy  ;  she  had  been  his  elder  tyrant.  He 
remembered  her  selfish,  overbearing,  dictatorial.  This  sister 
was  helpful,  sympathetic,  sweet-voiced,  sweet-faced,  in  her 
confidences  with  the  near-sighted  youth,  who  got  very  close  to 
her  indeed  while  he  talked  (a  right  and  habit  which  the  hus 
band  envied  him,  but  dared  not  imitate),  and  he  felt  much 
inclined  to  be  one  of  them  ;  and  on  several  occasions  he  put 
in  his  oar,  when  the  young  man's  hopes  and  wishes  were  dis 
cussed,  and  an  inclination  grew  within  him  to  try  how  soon  and 
how  well  he  could  fashion  the  hopes  and  wishes  into  prospects 
and  realities. 

He  had  discussed  the  merits  of  different  colleges  and  their 
courses  of  study,  and  listened  with  curious  smiles  to  the  glow 
ing  pictures  Teddy  drew  of  a  professor's  life,  as  he  imagined  it, 
till  he  began  to  ponder  and  plan  how  the  chair  might  be 
attained. 

All  this  commenced  long  before  Mrs.  Richard   Pritchard's 


"A  Rose  ivitk  Sweetest  Leaves  Yet  Folded"      319 

visit ;  and  although  his  young  wife's  silence  and  reserve  shut 
him  off  somewhat  from  Teddy  Hethwaite,  it  did  not  change 
materially  his  feelings  and  intentions  towards  him. 

After  her  brother  had  gone  home  one  evening,  Mr.  Slaughton 
detained  Perdita  as  she  gathered  together  her  work  for 
departure. 

"  I've  been  thinking,"  said  he,  "  that  if  I  may  be  allowed,  I 
am  able  to  be  of  use  to  Teddy.  I  have  a  scholarship  due  me 
at  Rosenbloom  ;  I  earned  it  when  I  was  about  his  age.  I 
should  like  to  offer  it  to  him,  with  your  permission.  You  need 
not  feel  the  least  obligation,"  he  added  hastily,  seeing  her  draw 
back,  "ft  cost  me  nothing  ;  it  is  lying  idle,  and  if  he  does  not 
take  it,  it  will  be  wasted." 

"  In  that  case,"  replied  Perdita,  considering,  "  I  think  I 
ought  to  accept  it.  It  seems  precisely  what  he  wants,  and  I 
shall  say  '  Yes,'  and  be — grateful,  provided  father  does  not 
say  '  No,'  and  I  feel  almost  sure  of  setting  it  in  such  a  light  that 
he  will  consent." 

"  If  it  suits  his  son,  I  don't  see  how  he  can  refuse." 

"  Then  I  must  say  you  have  not  observed  very  closely  my 
father's  characteristics,  one  of  which  is  a  measure  of  bitterness 
towards  men  '  condemned  to  be  rich,'  as  old  Isaac  Walton  says. 
The  very  fact  that  you  arc  able  to  offer  Teddy  what  he  cannot 
give  him  may  stir  up  his  gall.  However,  he  treats  me  quite 
differently  now  that  he  can  no  longer  control  me ;  and  I  will 
go  down  and  broach  the  matter  to  him.  In  any  event,  I  trust 
you  will  believe  me  grateful." 

"  Gratitude  is  no  doubt  a  virtue  ;  but  I  don't  see  how  it  can 
be  exercised  by  you  towards  me.  It  is  a  virtue  expected  of 
subordinates  and  dependants,  and  excuse  me  if  I  find  your  con 
stant  avowance  of  it  a  trifle  monotonous." 

"  Oh.  you  prefer  me  not  to  express  it." 

"Couldn't  you  express  some  other  emotion  for  a  change  ?  " 

"  For  example — such  as " 

"  Love  !  "     No  I  he  did  not  say  it ;  he  did  not  find  himself 


32O     "A  Rose  with  Sweetest  Leaves  Yet  Folded.'1 

able  to  bring  out  the  v/orvl,  \vith  her  cool,  inquiring,  irrespon 
sive,  collected  glance  fixed  on  him.  He  seemed  to  kno\v  that 
she  would  hurl  it  back  at  him  with  scorn.  He  dropped- the 
subject  for  one  of  plain  matter-of-fact. 

"  I  hope  you  did  not  make  a  mistake  in  shying  his  poetry  at 
him,  Thanksgiving  Day.  He  looked  as  glum  as  a  grave-stone 
while  you  recited  it" 

"  I  was  an  idiot,  and  I  plagued  my  mother,  I  am  sure  I  did. 
That  comes  of  having  a  temper.  I  must  repair  the  blunder  as 
well  as  I  can.  I'll  beg  him  to  read  me  his  sermon  on  our  great 
possessions.  I'll  bake  him  a  pound-cake.  I  shall  go  to 
morrow  morning.  Such  woman's  wit  as  I  possess  I'fl  use,  and 
I'll  get  my  way,  and  Teddy  shall  have  his  wish  ;  and  Mr. 
Slaughton,  I  truly  thank  you  for  the  interest  you  take  in  my 
brother." 

"  That  sounds  nice  for  you  to  say,  and  truly,  I  should  like 
to  accompany  you  part  of  the  way  at  least,  as  I  have  to  look  at 
some  rails  Slowgo  wants  me  to  buy  for  the  low  pasture  fence. 
Can  I  go  ?  " 

He  put  his  hands  together  and  stuck  his  head  on  one  side. 

"  Certainly ;  wherefore  not  ?  "  replied  she,  smiling.  "  The 
highway  is  broad  enough  for  two.  Enemies  could  walk  in  it." 

"  That  is  true  ;  if  it  were  only  a  foot-path,  I  might  jostle  or 
crowd  you.  I  take  the  hint.  I  shall  keep  at  a  respectful 
distance." 


"How  Shall  I  Your  True  Love  Know?"        321 
CHAPTER  XLV. 

"HOW   SHALL   I   YOUR  TRUE   LOVE   KNOW?" 


ERDITA  found  the  Parson  in  his  study, 
bending  his  back  over  a  sermon  weighty 
enough  in  doctrine  and  verbiage  to  break 
it,  if  packed  on  all  at  once  ;  but  as  he 
had  toughened  himself  to  it,  like  the  man 
who  carried  the  calf  till  it  grew  to  be  an 
ox,  and  so  did  not  die  under  its  weight, 
he  kept  on  his  way,  though  his  recapitu 
lation  of  the  text  and  heads  made  him  groan  occasionally.     He 
rose  on  her  entrance,  and  ceremoniously  saluted  her. 
"  I  wish  you  a  very  good  morning,  Mrs.  Slaughton." 
Though  habitually  satirical  on  rich  men  and  lawyers,  who  can 
hardly  enter  the  kingdom  of  Heaven,  he  had  been  rather  more 
than  usually  agreeable  since  the  Thanksgiving  dinner,  and  little 
by  little  she  had  lost  her  fears  for  Bettine,  and  the  talk  between 
her  and  her  husband  had  never  been  renewed.     Indeed,  as  he 
did  not  again  refer  to  it,  she  had  reason  to  suppose  he  had  for 
gotten  it  as  a  mere  passing  suggestion,  born  of  sympathy  and 
exhausted  in  words. 

She  accomplished  her  errand  easily  enough.     The  Parson  fell 
in  with  the  plan  without  demur  or  contradiction. 

"  I  believe  it  is  foreordained  that  Teddy  should  make  a  figure 

in  the  world,  and  as  Malcolm  is  large  enough  for  the  farm  chores, 

I   shall  spare  him  quite  well.     Luckily,  the  vacation  comes  in 

haying-time,  so  that  he  can  do  the  mowing  and  make  the  crop." 

"  I  hope  it  is  foreordained  that  he  shall  rest  from  the  farm 

drudgery,  Which  has  already  made  him  old  and  worn,"  said  Per- 

dita,  with  a  disgust,  at  the  selfishness  which  never  thought  of 

14* 


322        "How  Shall  I  Your  True  Love  Know  f" 

standing  in  any  lot,  she  could  not  help  showing,  and  she  inly 
determined  to  hunt  a  place  which  should  take  Malcolm  away 
from  it,  also. 

"  Fortunately,  I  am  able  to  help  his  outfit,  father,"  she  added, 
opening  her  purse  and  producing  her  small  roll  of  bills. 

"  I  had  rather  not,"  replied  the  Parson,  putting  his  hands  be 
hind  his  back.  "  I  believe  the  Lord  will  finish  the  good  work 
he  has  begun  ;  we  can  sell  the  heifer." 

"I  think  you  will  have  to  sell  her  any  way.  What  I  offer 
is  not  much  ;  you  need  not  feel  delicate.  This  money  is  not 
a  gift  from  the  Slaughtons ;  it  is  mine,  honestly  earned  and  laid 
up  for  Teddy." 

"  Your  own  money,  Mrs.  Slaughton  ? "  said  he  doubtfully. 
"  I  hope  you  are  not  bringing  a  shame  on  your  husband  by 
making  it  seem  as  if  he  did  not  provide  for  you.  I  trust  you 
haven't  been  working  for  other  folks.  You  said  earned^  I  think. 
You  will  make  talk,  foment  scandal ;  it  is  your  duty  to  avoid 
that  at  all  cost  You  have  a  position  to  support — your  hus 
band's  reputation.  1  should  be  much  offended  if  my  wife  were 
to  parade  her  wants  by  trying  to  earn  money." 

"  No  doubt,"  thought  Perdita.  "  You'd  rather  starve  her, 
and  keep  her  nose  at  the  grindstone,  while  you  sit  upstairs 
scribbling  !  "  (Don't  be  shocked,  gentle  reader  ;  this  girl  was 
only  country-bred,  you  know,  and  she  spoke  as  she  heard.) 

"  Be  easy,  father  ;  I  am  not  disgracing  the  Slaughtons.  You 
will  have  to  take  my  statement  as  I  give  it.  I  believe  you  know 
I  was  too  well  whipped  in  my  tender  years  for  lying,  to  take  up 
the  practice  now  that  the  motive  is  removed." 

"  Motive  for  lying — what  was  it,  pray  ?  " 

"  Fear,  sir.  I  was  afraid  of  you.  I  lied  to  escape  the  whip 
pings  you  gave.  Fear  is  what  makes  children  liars,  and  so  the 
parents  are  in  a  good  degree  responsible  for  the  fault  they  pun 
ish,  and  which  they  ascribe  to  depravity.  I  don't  deny  the  de 
pravity;  but  as  that  is  also  an  inheritance,  the  fathers  ought  to 
whip  themselves  quite  as  faithfully  as  they  do  their  offering." 


"How  Shall  I  Your  True  Love  Know?"       323 

"  Since  when,  Mrs.  Slaughton,  did  you  begin  to  think  so 
boldly  and  state  so  freely  your  convictions  ?  " 

Perdita  felt  the  latent  sarcasm  under  his  question.  Although 
he  was  looking  almost  fearfully  at  her,  he  seemed  trying  to  iden 
tify  her  with  the  girl  who  used  to  shrink  and  turn  dumb  at  sight 
of  him. 

"  I  began  to  think  as  soon  as  I  began  to  feel  resentment, 
and  that  is  so  long  ago  that  I  cannot  recall  its  beginning.  I 
began  fo  speak  as  soon  as  I  got  the  chance.  There  it  is,  father  ; 
twenty-five  dollars.  Enough  to  pay  Teddy's  travelling  expenses, 
and  may  the  Lord  send  you  a  good  price  for  the  heifer." 

As  she  left  him,  the  Parson  looked  after  her.  "  A  very 
smart  girl  that,  a  very  handsome  girl !  I  am  glad  she  is  mar 
ried,  and  if  her  husband  does  not  keep  her  in  order,  it  is  his 
own  fault.  The  man  is  the  head  of  the  woman  :  '  Wives  obey 
your  husbands.'  1  have  Scripture  for  it,  and  I  thank  God  I 
have  been  steady  to  carry  it  out." 

At  the  foot  of  the  stairs  she  was  waylaid  by  her  mother,  who 
begged  her  to  come  into  her  bed-room  a  minute,  where  she 
shut  the  door  softly  and  spoke  in  a  whisper. 

"  Oh  dear  !  my  child,  I  do  wish  you  could  manage  a  little 
help  for  us  out  of  your  abundance.  Your  father's  best  coat  is 
all  gone,  and  he  isn't  fit  to  go  up  any  pulpit  stairs.  If  you 
could  bring  down  one  of  Mr.  Slaughton's,  I  might  alter  it,  and 
sponge  it  over,  and  press  it  out — he  has  such  handsome  clothes 
— and  I  would  just  lay  it  on  the  bed  when  your  father  dresses 
himself,  and  he  wouldn't  inquire  about  where  it  came  from. 
As  for  me,  I'm  a  sight  to  behold  !  I  can't  go  to  meeting  much 
longer  looking  as  I  do  ;  the  folks  in  the  poor-house  are  decenter 
than  I  am.  She  must  have  dresses  she  don't  care  about — nice 
lones,  that  I  could  wear.  Couldn't  you  just  ask " 

"  Don't  mother  !  I'd  die  first !  "  exclaimed  Perdita,  looking 
angrily  at  the  cringing,  thin,  pinched  creature  who  could  harbor 
a  mean  design  of  pushing  her,  the  proudest  of  the  proud,  into 
begging  of  the  people  with  whom  she  lived  on  .such  strange  terms. 


324       "How  Shall  I  Your  True  Love  Know  f  " 

"  Ministers'  folks  always  expect  to  have  things  given  them," 
said  poor  Mrs.  Hethwaite  ;  "and  though  your  father  never  will 
look  thankful,  I  believe  he  is  glad  enough  to  get  them.  I'm 
sure  it's  no  disgrace.  He  is  as  good  as  anybody,  if  he  is  poor  ; 
and  he  knows  more  than  the  whole  of  them  put  together.  I 
can't  think  which  way  to  turn.  He  don't  get  any  preaching 
that  pays.  The  day  he  filled  the  South  End  pulpit  they  only 
gave  him  a  dollar  ;  the  hens  have  stopped  laying,  and  the  cow 
is  drying  up.  I  don't  have  any  eggs  to  sell,  and  I  can't  scrimp 
on  the  butter  any  more  than  I  do.  And  there's  the  whole  of 
them  to  feed  and  keep  decent.  I  wish  you  wouldn't  look  so 
cross  at  me,  Perdita  ;  I'm  sure  'tisn't  my  fault." 

Her  troubles  and  vexations  were  souring  the  poor  lady's  tem 
per,  and  her  voice  was  sharp  and  querulous,  and  she  threw 
herself  upon  the  bed,  and  dropped  her  hands  in  her  lap. 

"  I've  a  great  mind  to  give  up,  that's  what  1  have.  Oh  dear  ! 
I  little  thought  at  your  age  that  I  should  ever  feel  as  I  do 
now.  I  haven't  any  pride  or  courage  left." 

"  Come,  mother  ! "  said  Perdita,  ashamed  of  her  hardness 
towards  such  a  timorous,  broken-down  wreck.  "  Come,  cheer 
up  !  I've  good  news  for  you,  and  I've  money  enough  of 
my  own  to  buy  you  a  dress,  and  that  will  be  much  nicer  than 
wearing  any  of  Mrs.  Slaughton's  old  cast-offs,  won't  it,  now  ? 
As  to  father's  coat,  let  him  take  care  of  himself.  Look  !  here 
are  ten  dollars  !  " 

She  emptied  her  purse  into  the  trembling  hand  she  took  in 
both  hers,  patting  it  softly — "  Perdita' s  first  gift  to  her  mother. 
Now  let  me  tell  you."  She  hastened  to  unfold  the  plan 
afoot  for  Teddy,  and  to  talk  cheerfully  ;  then  she  also  washed 
the  dishes,  and  moulded  the  bread  ;  after  that  she  sat  down  and 
made  up  a  ruffle,  from  a  strip  of  muslin  she  brought  with  her, 
into  beautiful  plaits,  and  she  basted  it  into  the  neck  of  the  Sun 
day  gown  ;  and  she  did  a  dozen  other  little  things  before  she 
walked  up  the  hill. 

When  her  mother  kissed  her  good-by,  the  poor  lady  looked 


"  The  More  of  Mine,  the  Less  of  Yours."       325 

quite  rested  and  refreshed,  and  she  said  :  "  What  a  comfort 
you  are,  my  daughter  !  May  God  reward  you  with  the  love 
of  your  hus*band,  and  such  an  abundance  of  this  world's  goods 
that  you  may  be  able  to  keep  it.  God  keep  you  from  poverty, 
for  poverty  kills  love." 

The  unwooed  wife  carried  this  wish,  which  ought  to  be  a  real 
blessing,  in  her  thoughts  all  the  way  through  that  winter  walk. 
"  The  true  love  of  her  husband  !"  That  was  impossible ;  it  be 
longed  to  Sabrina  Bradshaw.  Benevolence,  natural  goodness,  an 
easy  disposition,  often  impelled  him  to  be  pleasant  to  her.  He 
was  pleasant  even  to  Cicely  Vance  ;  he  was  kind  to  the  ser 
vants  ;  yes,  he  was  kind  to  his  housekeeper. 

The  companionship  of  this  man  was  so  full  of  interest  and 
charm,  even  thus,  that  she  could  ill  afford  to  lose  it ;  and  since 
the  goodness  she  was  able  to  have  was  so  bounteous  in  con 
tent,  how  precious  and  soul-satisfying  should  be  the  true  love 
she  had  not  ? 


CHAPTER  XLIV. 

"  THE  MORE  THERE  IS  OF   MINE,  THE  LESS  THERE  IS  OF  YOURS." 


ERDITA  was  not  out  of  sight  of  the  man 
sion  house  when  Cicely,  who  had  been 
watching  her  from  the  window,  turned  to 
the  dame,  and  said  in  the  snivelling  voice 
she  found  potent  with  that  relative  when 
urging  requests. 

"  Grandma,  shan't  Betty  give  me  a  pair 
of  her  rabbits?    She's  got  ever  so  many; 
she's  just  as  stingy  as  ever  she  can  be." 

"  Rabbits  ?     Where    did  they  come    from ;    what    do    they 
eat?" 


326        "  The  More  of  Mine,  the  Less  of  Yours" 

"Oats;  Stephen  pours  a  great  lot  into  their  box  every  day." 

"Mercy  on  us,  what  waste  I  We  shall  drop  on  the  town  at 
this  rate.  Who  did  you  say  fetched  the  tilings?" 

"  Malcolm  made  them  a  present  for  Betty's  birthday." 

"  The  land  alive  I  Well,  I'll  make  you  a  present  of  half  of 
them  for  yours  ;  it's  a  poor  rule  that  won't  work  two  ways." 

"  Thank  you,  grandma,  I  only  want  one  dear  little  pair  ;  they 
can't  be  missed  amongst  so  many,  I'm  sure." 

"  You  shall  have  them  I  If  they  have  got  to  be  kept  here, 
eating  our  feed — and  I  suppose  they  will,  if  my  lady  pleases — 
it's  only  fair  that  my  daughter's  child  should  share." 

"  Yes,  grandma  1  How  I  love  you  1  I'm  so  affecshunut ! 
She  isn't  going  to  stay  here  for  always,  is  she  ?  " 

"  Who  ?  " 

"  I'.etty  Hethwaite  ;  she's  only  a  visitor,  is  she?" 

"  Visitor  !  I  should  say  so  !  I  can't  bear  her  !  A  little 
shame-faced  thing,  always  in  corners,  as  if  she  was  going  to  be 
whipped,  the  minute  my  Lady  Sharp-eyes,  is  out  of  sight  ;  and 
the  way  she  pussies  round  my  Samuel  is  enough  to  make  a  cat 
laugh.  Of  course  she's  put  up  to  that." 

"  Yes,  grandma  ;  and  will  you  get  the  rabbits  for  me  this 
morning,  before  aunty  comes  back.  She'H  say  you  mustn't,  if 
you  wait  to  ask  her ;  I  know  she  will." 

"  Ask  her  !  I  should  admire  to  see  myself  doing  it." 

"  Well,  come,  please,  now  !  I've  found  a  nice  peach  box 
that  will  hold  them  ever  so  good.  Oh,  how  I  do  love  my  dear 
grandma  !  I'm  your  little  rose-bud,  ain't  I  ?  Aunty  isn't  my 
true,  sure-enough  aunty,  is  she  ?  I  only  call  her  so.  She  isn't 
half  so  good  as  you.  Uncle  Samuel  don't  like  her  much,  does 
he  ?  " 

"  Tut,  tut,  child;  that's  none  of  your  bread  and  cheese.  You 
best  be  careful  how  you  talk." 

"  Yes,  grandma,  I  am  ;  may  I  carry  your  thimble  for  you,  and 
will  you  please  come  down  to  the  barn  now  ?  Good,  pretty 
grandma." 


"  The  More  of  Mine,  the  Less  of  Yours"        327 

The  transfer  was  soon  made  under  these  blandishments,  and 
the  dame  got  ready  a  speech  she  intended  to  pour  out  when  the 
matter  came'  to  be  discussed,  touching  hard  on  some  folks' 
partiality,  their  hatred  of  poor  innocent  Cicely,  Sallie's  oldest 
child,  and  enlarging  on  the  way  she  was  made  the  scapegoat  of 
some  folks'  humors  ;  and  she  had  an  idea  of  throwing  in  hints 
about  the  unwelcome  presence  of  an  alien,  with  her  trouble 
some  pets,  eating  folks  out  of  house  and  home. 

She  understood  well,  by  this  time,  that  she  must  choose  her 
opportunity  for  airing  her  little  pleasantries  when  her  son  was 
not  a  listener.  Although  he  had  never  opened  his  heart  to  her, 
she  could  see  what  was  working  in  it.  Her  woman's  penetration 
and  motherly  jealousy  showed  her — no  need  of  words  ;  and  a 
deep-settled  sense  of  damage  and  resentment  had  long  ago  dis 
torted  all  Perdita's  looks,  words,  and  actions  into  injuries. 
She  had  had  occasions  for  anger,  had  the  dame  ;  her  daughter- 
in-law  was  no  saint,  and  when  pressed  hard,  was  apt  to  turn  ; 
and  she  had  a  sharp  and  caustic  wit  which  could  cut  all  ways, 
though  to  her  credit  it  must  be  told  how  she  regretted  such 
outbreaks,  and  how  she  took  care  to  make  her  best  amends  by 
saying  she  was  sorry. 

The  dame  allowed  herself  the  spiteful  pleasure  of  speaking 
of  the  wife  she  had  urged  on  her  son,  to  the  Brandegees,  and 
even  to  the  servants,  as  "  My  Lady,"  "  Miss  Smartie,"  or 
"  Fiery-Eyes,"  and  quoted  the  proverb,.  "  Set  a  beggar  on  horse 
back,"  etc.  She  interviewed  the  domestics,  and  pitied  them 
for  having  to  work  so  hard,  forgetting  what  a  martinet  she  had 
been  in  her  own  day ;  and  said  it  was  "too  bad,"  and  "she 
should  do  so  different  if  she  could." 

Perdita's  life  was  made  harder  by  these  little  aggravations  and 
troubles  ;  and  though  she  was  not  always  as  patient  as  she 
ought  to  have  been,  she  was  seldom  aggressive — never,  in  fact ; 
and  notwithstanding  the  dame's  sly  malice  and  meddling,  the 
servants  were  obedient  and  respectful.  They  acknowledged 
her  a  lady,  and  among  themselves  resented  her  trials,  which  of 


328         "  The  More  of  Mine,  the  Less  of  Yours" 

course  they  saw,  and  said  "  she  was  much  put  upon  by  the  old 
woman,  so  she  was  ; "  and  when  her  orders  were  interfered 
with,  they  told  the  dame  "  she  was  not  boss,  and  that  they  hired 
to  Miss  Perdita,  and  took  orders  from  her  and  nobody  else  at 
all." 

It  was  with  blue  eyes  deep  under  their  beetling  brows  and 
most  baleful  in  expression,  that  Cicely  Vance  accosted  Betty 
on  her  return  to  the  nursery,  after  she  had  gained  her  wish  and 
become  possessed  of  what  she  coveted. 

The  mite  was  contentedly  nursing  her  doll,  and  keeping  a 
promise  she  had  given  her  sister  to  remain  in  the  room  till  her 
return.  She  looked  startled  when  Cicely  entered,  and  threw 
her  apron  over  her  baby  as  if  she  was  afraid  it  would  be 
snatched  away. 

"  I've  got  a  pair  of  your  rabbits,  Bet !  The  prettiest  ones  !  the 
Maltese  ones  !  Grandma  gave  them  to  me.  She  says  I  may 
keep  them  for  all  of  aunty.  You've  no  right  to  be  stingy ; 
you've  no  right  to  anything.  You  don't  belong  here.  You 
ain't  going  to  stay  here  always;  I  be.  Grandma  can't  bear 
you." 

"  Uncle  Sam  likes  me,"  faltered  the  mite. 

"  You  haven't  got  no  Uncle  Sam  !  He's  my  uncle,  he  ain't 
yours.  Hand  me  that  old  doll ;  let's  toss  her  up  and  have  some 
fun  !  Give  her  here,  or  I'll  pull  your  hair  all  out,  I  will !  " 

Without  a  word  Betty  resigned  her  treasure,  and  after  watch 
ing  it  in  Cicely's  possession  as  long  as  she  could  bear  it,  she 
slipped  out  of  the  door,  and  left  the  small  tyrant  to  follow  her 
amusement  of  dragging  the  doll  over  the  benches,  and  throw 
ing  her  about,  laughing  the  while  such  a  grating,  soulless  cackle, 
like  the  filing  of  a  saw  or  the  crackling  of  thorns  under  a  pot. 


"  What  is  Mine  is  Thine,  My  Pretty  Bettine"    329 
CHAPTER  XL VII. 

"  WHAT   IS   MINE    IS    THINE,    MY   PRETTY   BETTINE." 

IERDITA  had  returned  later  than  she  had 
intended,  finding  so  much  help  and  cheer 
needed  at  home ;  and  she  was  so  busily 
pondering  her  morning's  work,  that  she 
did  a  thing  quite  unusual  with  her — she 
forgot  little  Betty,  and  went  straight  to 
her  own  room  without  seeking  her  for  a 
welcoming  kiss. 

She  had  let  down  her  long  hair  and  was  brushing  it,  when  she 
heard  a  soft  rustle  and  stifled  sob  in  the  corner. 

Betty  had  come  in  so  still,  and  she  was  so  preoccupied,  that 
she  had  not  heard  the  patter  of  the  small  feet  which  commonly 
awakened  an  echo  in  her  heart  of  hearts. 

"  Ah,  my  darling  !  "  she  said  in  a  soft  voice  vibrating  with 
fondness.  "  What !  did  you  grieve  for  my  absence  ?  did  you 
miss  me  ?  Crying  ?  don't  do  that.  You  must  not  weep  for 
trifles,  you  must  be  brave  ;  I  was  not  gone  so  long.  See,  I  am 
here  again;  don't  sob  so,  dear  Betty,"  she  cried,  dashing  down 
the  brush  and  springing  forward.  "  Betty !  what  is  the 
matter  ?  " 

She  caught  the  child  in  her  arms,  who  let  her  head  drop  upon 
her  sister's  palpitating  breast,  without  a  word.  So  full  of  grief 
was  she  that  she  could  find  no  voice,  and  her  small  frame  shook 
with  the  sobs  she  was  trying  to  repress. 

"  Tell  me  quickly,  who  has  hurt  you  ?  "  exclaimed  Perdita, 
giving  her  a  little  shake. 

"  She  has  got  my  two  Maltese  ones,"  whispered  Betty,  "  my 
very  prettiest,  the  ones  I  loved  the  best  of  all." 


330   "  What  is  Mine  is  Thine,  My  Pretty  Bet  tine." 

"Who  has?" 

"  Cicely." 

"  The  little  wretch  !  Has  she  dared  to  meddle  with  your  pets  ? 
Is  there  nothing  safe  from  that  horrible  girl  ?  " 

"  She  says  " — sob — sob — "  she  says— oh,  dear  !  how  my  throat 
aches,  Perdita  ;  she  says  her  grandma  gave  them  to  her." 

Perdita  darted  to  the  door  with  Betty  in  her  arms.  She  felt 
the  child's  weight  no  more  than  a  feather  ;  her  black  brows 
gathered  together,  her  eyes  flashed,  and  her  red  lips  half 
opened  for  the  passionate  breath  which  panted  through  them. 

This  was  the  sight  which  met  Mr.  Slaughton's  gaze  at  the 
stair-head ;  he  had  his  soft  hat  in  his  two  hands,  and  the  crown 
was  filled  with  hen's  eggs,  which  he  was  bringing  fora  present 
to  his  young  wife. 

Once,  on  one  of  the  library  evenings,  she  had  said  what  a 
queer  thing  it  would  be  to  see  chickens  hatched  under  a  woollen 
mother.  It  was  after  he  had  been  reading  an  account  of  some 
winter  broods,  and  of  the  old  Egyptian  method ;  and  she 
laughed  at  the  notion,  looking  bright  and  pretty,  and  she  laid 
down  her  work  and  gazed  into  the  coals ;  and  when  he  asked 
her  what  she  saw  there,  she  said  she  was  thinking  about  some 
seabrights  she  had  once,  and  of  a  plume  she  made  of  their  red 
feathers  for  her  Sunday  hat ;  and  how  Teddy  had  called  her, 
"  proud  bird  of  the  mountain,"  and  how  they  had  done  "  Loch- 
iel"  together. 

"  Father  made  me  burn  it  up  as  soon  as  he  saw  it,  and  said, 
'  When  you  can  afford' plumes,  let  them  be  ostrich,  and  till  then 
leave  dung  hill  fowls  to  wear  their  own  finery.'  Teddy  was  very 
angry;  but  I  didn't  care  much,  I  had  had  such  a  good  time 
with  the  spouting." 

Mr.  Slaughton  paid  a  fabulous  price  for  the  eggs  he  was 
bringing  up  the  stairs  ;  perhaps  he  hoped  to  get  smiles  and 
thanks  as  his  reward. 

"  What  has  happened  ?"  he  asked  in  quick  alarm  ;  '•  is  Betty 
hurt  ?  Pray  tell  me  !  What  is  it,  Betty  ?" 


"  What  is  Mine  is  Thine,  My  Pretty  Bettine."    331 

" This  is  too  much  !  I  shall  not  bear  this"  said  Perdita,  try 
ing  to  pass  hit"-  "  My  poor  child  shall  not  be  abused  and 
trampled  on,  and  plundered  and  reviled,  and " 

"  Who  ?  what  ?  which  ?  where  ?  when  ?  Stay  !  stay ! "  Mr. 
Slaughton  placed  his  broad  shoulders  across  her  path,  as  she 
pushed  on,  scarcely  noticing  his  presence  j  but  as  the  staircase 
was  only  of  ordinary  width,  her  attention  was  of  necessity  called 
to  the  formidable  obstacle  she  had  encountered,  and  she  paused 
because  she  could  not  help  it. 

"  Just  tell  me  who  has  dared  to  hurt  my  pet,"  said  he  again, 
and  the  perpendicular  line  deepened  into  a  dangerous  frown 
between  his  eyes. 

"  Uncle  Sam,  Cicely  has  got  my  rabbits,  the  blue  ones  that 
we  liked  best,"  exclaimed  Betty,  reaching  out  her  hands  to  him, 
while  tears  streamed  down  her  face.  Mr.  Slaughton  reached 
over  the  baluster  and  carefully  placed  his  hat  on  the  floor,  and 
took  her  out  of  her  sister's  clasp  with  gentle  force.  The  arms, 
relieved  of  their  burden,  dropped  aimlessly,  and  the  young  wife 
turned  her  face  to  the  wall  and  burst  into  tears ;  no  summer 
shower,  refreshing  and  restful,  but  a  storm  of  anger,  and  hurry 
ing,  vehement  agitation,  exhaustive  to  mind  and  body. 

The  gentleman  stood  looking  at  her,  not  knowing  what  to 
do  or  say,  filled  with  consternation  and  trouble.  Perdita  with 
dishevelled  hair  was  a  wonderful  picture — such  masses  of  inky 
blackness  as  enclouded  her  !  such  a  slender  girl  as  she  looked 
in  the  abandonment  of  her  passion  !  He  could  have  clasped 
her  little  waist  in  his  two  hands  almost ;  and,  really  fond  as  he 
was  of  Bettine,  he  would  rather  have  held  her  sister  in  his 
embrace  than  the  small  fairy.  If  Perdita  must  weep,  his  breast 
was  such  a  safe  rest,  and  his  heart  beat  below  it  full  of 
sympathy. 

He  remembered  acutely  this  scene  at  the  stair-head  after 
wards  ;  he  recalled  it  when  their  lives  were  running  in  such 
strange  channels  that  it  seemed  impossible  they  could  ever 
meet  again  in  an  even  flow. 


332   "  What  is  Mine  is  Thine,  My  Pretty  Bet  tine" 

Betty  dried  her  tears  at  the  sight  of  Perdita's  emotion,  and 
whispered  in  Mr.  Slaughton's  ear  : 

"  Tell  her  not  to  mind.  Poor  Perdita  !  I  don't  want  her  to 
feel  bad.  I'd  rather  Cicely  kept  them,  if  she  won't  cry." 

It  was  not  long  before  Perdita  came  to  herself,  and  dashing 
away  her  passion,  she  said  in  a  low  voice,  still  tremulous  and  a 
little  broken. 

'*  You  know  Malcolm  gave  her  those  rabbits,  and  you  know 
how  she  doted  on  them.  Now  your  mother  has  taken  out  the 
pair  she  thought  the  most  of,  and  given  them  to  Cicely  Vance 
— a  piece  of  arbitrary  oppression  and  injustice  I  will  not  bear ! 
She  may  treat  me  as  she  likes,  but  I  will  not  see  my  Betty 
wronged." 

"  It  is  atrocious  !  abominable  !  I  shall  go  instantly  and 
insist  upon  restitution,  and  I  shall  speak  my  mind." 

"  Pray  stay,"  answered  Perdita  quickly.  "  Do  not  interfere 
in  any  way  ;  do  not  add  to  my  mortification  the  knowledge 
that  I  have  procured  a  quarrel  between  mother  and  son.  What 
ever  may  have  been  your  motive  for  the  course  you  have  pur 
sued,  it  has  been  wise.  You  have  not  interested  yourself  in 
my  situation  towards  her.  You  have  kept  silence  when  there 
has  been  a  chance  of  discussion.  And  I  beg  you  will  not  break 
through  your  line  of  conduct.  I  can  manage  for  myself  to-day 
as  well  as  I  have  other  times.  I  feel  I  have  been  violent, 
raging.  I  don't  know  if  I  said  anything  rude — I  hope  not.  If 
I  have,  pray  overlook  and  forget  it. 

She  gathered  up  her  tresses,  and  as  she  met  his  eyes,  she 
straightened  herself,  tall,  proud,  defiant. 

"  What  do  I  care  if  he  does  hate  black  hair?"  she  thought 
Then,  remembering  what  a  stormy  fury  she  must  have  looked, 
she  tried  to  feel  angry  and  indifferent.  "  A  housekeeper  and 
governess  has  a  right  to  wear  such  looks  as  suit  her,  so  she 
attends  to  her  duties."  "  But,"  she  added  aloud,  "right  is  right, 
and  Betty  is  mine  ;  I  must  look  out  for  her." 

"  And  mine  too,"  added  Mr.  Slaughton.     She  recalled  his 


"  What  is  Mine  is  Thine,  My  Pretty  Bettine.     333 

look  and  tone  afterwards,  and  felt  how  blind  she  must  have 
been  not  to  understand  him. 

"  Uncle  Sa'm,"  said  the  mite  in  her  sweet,  clear  voice,  "  let 
Cicely  keep  the  rabbits.  J  don't  want  them  any  more  ;  I  could 
not  have  good  times  with  them.  I  should  always  remember 
how  Perdita  cried,  and  how  troubled  you  looked.  I  don't  want 
Cicely's  grandma  to  be  angry  with  my  Perdita.  Only  tell  me, 
good  Uncle  Sam,  am  I  truly  your  little  Betty — truly — not 
make  believe  ?  " 

"  You  belong  to  your  sister,  and  as  much  to  me  as  she  will 
permit." 

"  Have  I  a  right  to  stay  here,  in  your  house  ?  This  is  your 
house,  isn't  it?" 

"  Why  yes,  I  suppose  it  is ;  and  what  is  mine  is  thine,  my 
pretty  Bettine — house,  land,  dolly,  playthings,  and  all.  This 
is  your  home." 

"  I  am  so  glad.  I  did  want  a  part  of  their  grandma,  but 
Cicely  said  1  shouldn't  have  any.  They  may  keep  her  now.  I 
have  got  a  true  Uncle  Sam.  She  says  she  can't  bear  me. 
You  don't  think  I  am  stingy,  do  you?  You  won't  let  them 
starve  my  rabbits,  will  you  ?  " 

"  She  is  getting  some  life-lessons,  you  perceive,"  said  Per 
dita,  "and  she  has  taught  me  one.  Pray  do  not  say  anything 
about  this.  Betty  and  I  can  afford  to  lose  her  pets,  if  we  can 
learn  to  keep  our  tempers." 

The  storm  was  all  cleared  off  her  face,  which  was  bright, 
smiling,  and  friendly.  The  gentleman  breathed  a  sigh  of  relief 
— matters  had  so  arranged  themselves  that  no  interference  was 
necessary.  I  don't  suppose  he  could  help  feeling  glad  that  he 
was  excused  from  coming  to  the  fore.  No  man  likes  to  fall 
out  with  his  mother.  All  men  love  peace  at  home,  and  Mr. 
Slaughton  certainly  did  not  the  less  admire  his  young  wife 
because  she  refused  to  set  him  at  odds  with  the  dame,  who  was 
likely  to  say  quite  a  number  of  very  disagreeable  things ;  and 
a  family  broil  must  interrupt  and  destroy  the  flavor  of  all  the 


334 


"Under  the  Tub  the  Slipper  Goes." 


quiet  pleasures  he  was  getting  fond  of.  Little  Betty  caim-  in 
for  a  share  of  his  satisfaction  ;  she  had  behaved  well.  Children 
who  "give  up"  are  admired  by  most  men;  they  save  so  much 
trouble.  Right  ought  to  prevail  ;  but  if  it  won't,  and  the 
injured  parties  are  peaceable  under  wrong,  they  are  to  be 
commended — they  have  "  good  dispositions." 

As  for  the  old  lady,  she  braced  herself  in  vain  for  a  battle 
which  failed  to  come  off.  Her  exploits  were  not  commented 
on,  the  transfer  of  Betty's  property  being  taken  as  matter  of 
course. 


CHAPTER  XLVIII. 
"UNDER  THE  TUB  THE  SLIPPER  GOES." 


been    long   under 
governess    before 


HE  Vances  had  not 
the  care  of  the  new 
she  discovered  that  the  one  ruling  pas. 
sion  of  the  eldest  was  finery,  and  also 
that  her  ideas  of  nieum  and  tuum  were 
obscure.  Lying  was  a  venial  sin  .  M> 
she  had  been  taught  in  her  convent 
by  precept  and  example.  It  could  be 

atoned  for  by  a  slight  penance,  and  no  harm  done.  Therefore, 
Cicely  not  only  paid  no  heed  to  the  truth,  but  it  really  seemed 
as  if  she  lied  for  exciting  amusement,  as  children  run  swiftly 
over  a  narrow  plank,  in  constant  danger  of  a  plunge  into  the 
brook  below,  counting  their  escapes. 

1'erdita  made  another  unpleasant  discovery.  No  bureau,  no 
press,  no  box  or  basket  was  safe  from  her  meddling  fingers  ;  and 
after  she  had  caught  her  pilfering  from  everybody's  belongings, 


"Under  the  Tub  the  Slipper  Goes."  335 

she  concluded  that  she  must  either  keep  everything  in  the 
house  locked,  or  allow  the  girt  to  grow  up  a  confirmed  thief. 

She  puzzled  much  over  this  trouble,  and  could  not  account 
for  it  on  the  score  of  blood,  because  the  other  two,  full  of 
mischief  and  wild  as  deer,  were  true  and  honest.  Pandora, 
especially,  was  frank  and  brave  to  a  fault. 

Remembering  what  Mr.  Slaughton  had  said  to  his  mother, 
the  day  the  children  had  arrived,  she  concluded  that  Cicely 
had  inherited  all  the  Vance  proclivities,  or  that  she  was  spoiled 
by  her  education,  viz. :  "The  end  justifies  the  means  " — eaves 
dropping,  fibs,  and  the  like  being  permitted  as  necessary  and 
excusable  under  certain  circumstances. 

Cicely  had  a  pair  of  clumsy  boots,  whose  ugliness  was  a 
sore  trial  to  her.  She,  like  many  fine  ladies,  preferred  wetting 
her  feet  to  protecting  them  in  such  stout  shoes  as  would  make 
them  look  large.  When  the  journals  are  spreading  the  impor 
tant  fact  that  a  certain  woman  of  fashion  wears  ones,  the  size 
of  the  female  foot  assumes  an  importance  which  takes  pre 
cedence  of  virtues. 

Cicely  neglected  no  opportunity  of  dodging  the  hated  boots 
and  getting  on  the  slippers  or  kid  ones  which  belonged  to 
holiday  attire.  She  could  not  have  gotten  much  comfort  out 
of  their  wearing,  either,  because  she  was  obliged  to  go  crouch 
ing  about  to  keep  them  out  of  sight,  and  was  always  obliged 
to  remove  them  as  soon  as  discovered.  The  dame  scolded, 
and  boxed  her  ears,  and  the  child  shed  many  tears  and  did  an 
immense  deal  of  pouting. 

One  Saturday  afternoon  in  January,  a  walk  down  to  the 
village,  including  prunes  and  figs  at  the  store,  was  the  reward 
of  good  lessons.  All  were  delighted,  especially  as  the  young 
Hethwaites  were  to  be  of  the  party. 

The  weather  was  fine  and  clear,  and  the  roads  smooth  ; 
no  snow  had  fallen,  and  everything  was  frozen. 

Ciccly.Vance  came  down  rather  late ;  she  was  dressed  in 
her  best,  and  had  on  her  feet  a  pair  of  red  morocco  ties,  which 


336  "  Under  the  Tub  the  Slipper  Goes." 

she  tried  to  conceal  by  keeping  behind  the  others  till  they 
should  bo  under  way,  in  which  case  she  felt  almost  sine 
of  being  allowed  to  go.  Amusements  fairly  earned  by  good 
re  always  permitted  by  the  governess,  irrespective 
of  conduct. 

Cicely  meant  to  walk  with  Malcolm,  and  converse  as  the 
young  ladies  did  in  her  convent.  She  felt  that  if  she  could 
only  get  a  real  love-letter  from  a  boy,  she  should  be  happy. 
As  love-letters  and  secret  meetings  had  been  much  talked 
of  among  the  girls  who  were  her  patterns,  that  was  only 
natural. 

As  Perdita  looked  over  her  charges  with  particular  care  be 
fore  starting,  she  discovered  the  red  shoes,  which  no  crouching 
could  hide. 

••  \\'hy,  Cicely  !  You  must  not  go  out  of  the  house  in  those 
things.  You  will  get  your  death-cold,  besides  looking  Hke  a 
circus-rider.  The  idea  of  a  thick  woollen  cloak  and  low  crim 
son  ties  with  rosettes!  Well,  child,  I  really  hope  I  shall  live 
to  see  what  you  will  wear  when  you  get  into  things  of  your  own 
choosing.  Run  upstairs  and  button  on  your  heavy  shoes, 
do?" 

"  I  can't  find  them,  aunty,  I've  hunted  everywhere." 

"  Can't  find  them!  when  you  had  them  on  only  two  hours 
ago  !  Don't  tell  that  nonsense.  Run,  I  say — directly.  You 
keep  us  waiting." 

"  Hut  they  are  not  there,  aunty.  I  looked  in  the  closet,  and 
under  the  bed,  and  all  around  ;  somebody  must  have  taken 
them  away.  I  believe  the  dog  has  carried  them  off." 

"  Don't  try  to  make  him  accountable  for  your  doings.  You 
know  very  well  that  you  have  put  them  out  of  sight." 

"  I  haven't.  I  guess  I  know  what  I  do,"  answered  the  girl, 
dropping  her  under-lip  and  going  slowly  and  unwillingly  up 
stairs. 

Pretty  soon  she  returned.  "  I  cannot  find  them  ;  so  there, 
now ! " 


"Under  the  Tub  the  Slipper  Goes"  337 

Perdita  ran  up  herself,  and  turned  everything  over  about  the 
room  and  clothes-press ;  they  were  nowhere  to  be  seen. 

"  Cicely,"  said  she,  when  she  came  down,  "  I  think  you  have 
hidden  your  shoes  because  you  did  not  want  to  wear  them.  I 
don't  believe  it  is  Scamp's  mischief." 

"  Well  it  is  not  mine,  then,  aunty,  just  as  true  as  I  live  and 
breathe  ;  I  hope  to  drop  down  dead,  if  it  is." 

As  the  girl  reeled  off  the  phrase  so  common  among  chi'dren, 
her  eyes  deepened  and  her  color  paled  for  an  instant ;  sh  •  was 
recalling  the  history  of  Ananias  and  Sapphira,  which  she  had 
been  made  to  commit  about  a  week  before,  as  a  gentle  ren.ind- 
er  of  the  possible  consequence  of  an  aberration  from  truth  in 
which  she  had  indulged. 

Mr.  Slaughton  was  standing  by  the  fire,  watching  the  antics 
of  the  children,  wondering  discontentedly  why  Perdita  would 
go  off  with  them,  when  she  might  stop  at  home,  where  he  could 
see  her  ;  and  of  course  he  heard  the  whole  conversation. 

"  Have  you  perfect  faith  in  her  word  ?  "  asked  he  in  a  low 
voice,  while  Cicely  was  upstairs. 

It  was  a  sure  indication  of  his  change  of  feeling  towards  his 
wife,  that  he  could  never  refrain  from  meddling  in  her  affairs, 
asking  questions  and  offering  suggestions  ;  quite  different  was 
this  appearance  of  interest  from  the  high  and  mighty  indiffer 
ence  he  paraded  on  the  wedding-day. 

"  Oh,  yes,"  replied  Perdita  in  the  same  tone.  "  I  have  faith 
that  she  will  utter  a  falsehood  every  time  she  opens  her 
mouth." 

"  I  wonder  you  don't  get  musical,  and  strike  the  liar" 

"  What !  such  a  harp  of  a  thousand  strings — not  one  of 
which  I  can  control  ?  I've  done  my  best  to  bring  the  instru 
ment  up  to  concert  pitch,  but  as  yet  I  have  hit  upon  no 
method  of  tuning  which  will  produce  anything  except  jarring 
discords." 

Bertram  was  the  last  to  come  in.     "  Oho,  Cis  ! "  exclaimed 
he.     "  So  you  have  got  on  your  red  shoes,  after  all." 
15 


338  "Under  the  Tub  the  Slipper  Goes." 

"  After  all  what  ?  "  asked  Perdita.  "  Do  you  know  anything 
about  her  others  ?  " 

u  I  know  she  hates  to  wear  them.     You  know  that  too." 

"  But  can  you  tell  me  where  they  may  be  found  ?  Cicely 
says  they  are  lost." 

"  Does  she  ?  Well,  you  need  not  look  at  me,  Aunt  Perdita. 
I'm  not  going  to  tell  on  her.  I  only  thought  I'd  plague  her  a 
little.  She  burnt  up  my  top  this  morning." 

"  But,  Bertram,  if  you  know " 

"Now,  Aunt  Perdita,  you  hate  tell-tales  ;  you  said  you  did." 

Perdita  was  too  near  childhood  herself  to  push  the  lad  into 
betraying  his  sister  ;  so  she  let  the  matter  drop,  trusting  to  her 
own  sharpness  to  ferret  out  the  truth. 

"You  will  have  to  wear  your  kid  boots  for  aught  I  see,"  said 
she  to  Cicely.  "  It  is  a  pity,  because  you  will  probably  cut 
them  on  the  frozen  road.  I  shall  not  forbid  your  holiday. 
You  have  earned  it ;  though  I  believe  you  are  acting  dishon 
estly." 

"  How,  aunty  ?  "  inquired  Cicely,  meeting  Perdita's  eyes  with 
an  unfaltering  look.  "  I  really  don't  know  how  you  can  say 
so  !  You  will  find  out  that  Scamp  is  to  blamo,  not  I ;  what 
for  should  I  go  to  wet  my  feet  ?  " 

"  I  don't  see  why  you  can't  send  somebody  with  those 
children,"  said  Mr.  Slaughton  decidedly.  "  I  have  nothing 
whatever  to  do,  and  it  would  be  so  nice  and  still  in  the  library, 
with  all  that  noise  out  of  the  house." 

"  Suppose  you  were  to  come  along,  and  get  an  appetite  for 
the  pressed  chicken  we  are  to  have  for  supper." 

"  Take  a  walk  with  these  nine  small  children  !  No,  thank  you, 
I  don't  care  about  appearing  in  public  as  John  Rogers.  If  you 
will  cut  the  duty  trip,  I  will  escort  you  to  the  mill,  or  the 
summit,  or  anywhere  you  say." 

"  Impossible,  sir  !  Desert  my  post,  and  leave  my  charges  to 
run  wild  ?  Impossible  !  " 

"  You  are  always  chatting  and  laughing  with  these  romping 


"Under  the  Tub  the  Slipper  Goes"  339 

things.  I  wonder  if  I  shouldn't  fare  better  if  I  were  to  rid  the 
house  of  the  whole  brood  ?  then  perhaps  you  would  attend  to 
other  people." 

"  Please  wish  nie  a  pleasant  afternoon  before  I  go,"  she  re 
plied  as  she  tripped  down  the  steps. 

She  had  a  remarkably  pleasant  walk ;  she  felt  in  cheerful 
mood — quite  buoyant,  in  fact ;  it  might  have  been  the  bracing 
air.  Of  course  the  last  words  of  the  man  she  had  left  behind 
had  nothing  to  do  with  her  light  heart,  nor  the  picture  she  had 
of  him  in  her  mind  standing  in  the  door  and  looking  after  her. 

Oh,  yes,  Perdita  enjoyed  that  walk,  notwithstanding  her 
trouble  about  Cicely,  and  the  puzzle  she  was.  Although  con 
fident  that  she  had  cheated  and  lied  for  a  beginning  of  this 
party  of  pleasure,  she  found  her  as  gleeful  and  unconscious  as 
a  young  animal.  Her  spirits  rose  as  soon  as  she  felt  herself 
safe,  and  she  giggled,  and  was  "  so  affecshunut "  to  aunty, 
and  boisterous  with  the  others.  The  exercise  and  keen,  frosty 
breeze  made  a  breathing  carnation  of  her,  a  resplendent 
creature  surpassing  all  brilliant  flowers  in  coloring. 

"  Can  it  be,"  reflected  the  governess,  "  that  there  are  human 
bodies  possessing  all  senses,  all  powers  of  volition  and  choice, 
but  which  are  not  inhabited  by  human  souls?  having  no  con 
science,  no  love  of  right,  no  hatred  of  wrong  ;  incapable  of 
sorrow  for  sin,  of  remorse  ;  not  able  to  be  glad  and  strong  by 
inward  goodness  ;  ruled  by  fear,  as  a  dog  is  by  a  whip ;  never 
impelled  by  love,  or  benevolence,  or  generosity,  or  magnanim 
ity  ;  merely  up-standing  animals,  gifted  with  speech — as  incon 
sequent  and  unguidable  as  singing  mice." 

She  listened  to  the  stream  of  prattle  which  Cicely  poured  out 
incessantly,  and  to  her  empty,  frivolous,  discordant  laughter ; 
observed  the  skippings  and  antics  which  were  the  overflow  of 
abundant  vigor,  the  sportfulness  of  a  kitten,  or  a  little  pig,  which 
kicks  up  its  heels  and  cries  "que  que." 

And  yet  the  girl  had  the  most  wonderful  memory,  ready  and 
retentive,  which  enabled  her  to  commit  whole  pages  with  a 


340  "Under  the  Tub  the  Slipper  Goes." 

single  reading.  She  was  fond  of  playing  with  dolls,  and  would 
imagine  and  rehearse  scenes  full  of  horrors — murders,  dungeons, 
penances,  confessions,  and  tricks,  so  replete  with  strange 
imaginations  that  it  made  the  listener's  blood  creep  some 
times. 

She  would  dress  the  dolls  from  anybody's  store  she  could  get 
at,  and  she  would  use  anybody's  dolls  without  leave.  After 
her  game  was  ended  she  generally  flitted  off,  never  replacing 
what  she  had  taken  ;  seeming  to  have  no  dread  of  consequences 
— no  care  to  conceal  her  depredations. 

Thus  far  Perdita  had  failed  to  find  the  key  to  Cicely's  being 
— she  had  not  discovered  any  chain  of  affinity  by  which  to 
attach  her,  had  never  kindled  any  glow  of  rapture  for  duties 
well  done,  or  repentance  for  faults.  The  other  children  were 
little  sinners,  but  they  felt  desirous  to  be  good  and  merit 
approval ;  they  expressed  and  acted  contrition.  Cicely  never 
manifested  either.  Fear  she  showed  of  such  abject  sort  as  to 
be  revolting ;  her  dread  of  punishment  was  strong ;  tears  were 
plenty,  promises  abundant ;  and  the  instant  the  pressure  was 
lifted,  the  danger  averted,  the  kiss  of  peace  obtained,  she  was  all 
giggles,  roses,  and  dimples,  "  so  affecshunut,"  and  then  instantly 
followed  some  request,  evidently  taking  the  soft,  tender  mood 
of  her  aunt  as  the  proper  time  to  obtain  some  coveted  gaud, 
some  of  the  goodies  of  which  she  was  greedily  fond. 

"Aunty,  will  you  buy  me  a  new  hair  ribbon  ?  Aunty,  may  I 
have  some  seed-cakes?  Will  you  give  me  a  dime  to  buy 
liquish  ?  " 

1'erdita  had  met  a  rock  of  stumbling  which  she  found  it  impossi 
ble  to  surmount  or  get  around;  and  the  notion  she  had  entertained 
that  all  children  who  were  kindly  and  carefully  reared  must  be- 
true  and  honest,  seemed  to  prove  entirely  untenable.  She  htg.ui 
to  think  a  good  deal  of  blood,  after  all,  and  to  agree  witli  Mr. 
Slaughton  that  the  Vance  inheritance  was  to  blame,  and  her 
father's  old  saying,  "  Blood  will  tell,"  had  a  meaning  and  force 
she  more  and  more  understood. 


Stratum  Super  Stratum. 


341 


Cicely  managed  to  start  off  with  Malcolm,  following  her  in 
tention  to  get  him  for  her  sweetheart. 

"Why  don't  you  come  up  on  purpose  to  see  me?"  asked  she 
tenderly. 

"Can't!  I'm  busy,"  replied  the  lad,  striding  on  with  such 
bus};  steps  that  he  quite  outstripped  her. 

"  You  don't  seem  to  make  much  headway  with  Malcolm," 
laughed  Dolly.  "  I  don't  believe  he  will  turn  out  just  the  kind 
of  beau  you  want ;  he's  as  short  as  pie-crust,  isn't  he  ?  " 

Cicely  had  two  exclamations  which  served  her  for  all  occa 
sions  :  "  I  dunno,"  and  "  I  don't  care."  The  latter  did  duty 
this  time,  and  she  pranced  off  as  free  from  mortification,  trouble, 
responsibility,  or  guilt,  as  are  the  lambs  who  kick  up  their  inno 
cent  heels  in  the  pasture. 

Perdita  saw  all  this  ;  she  pondered  it ;  but  she  enjoyed  her 
walk.  Cicely  Vance  could  not  spoil  her  pleasure  that  day. 


CHAPTER  XLIX. 


STRATUM  SUPER  STRATUM. 


T  was  several  days  afterwards  that  Perdita 
found  a  hiatus  of  leisure  among  her  duties, 
and  she  determined  to  set  about  the  sheets 
which  the  dame  desired  to  have  turned. 

The  key  was  the  same  with  which  she 
had  let  Pandora  out  of  the  studio,  and 
as  she  mounted  the  stairs,  she  was  think 
ing  about  the  pictures  the  little  mischief 

had  helped  her  to  a  sight  of,  and  of  Mrs.  Richard  Pritchard's 
visit,  and  of  how  her  husband  had  behaved  to  her  then  and  since ; 
so  that  she  had  entered  the  store-room  and  begun  to  turn  over 


342  Stratum  Super  Stratum. 

the  sheets  before  she  recollected  that  she  had  not  used  her  key, 
having  found  the  door  ajar  ;  and  as  she  was  wondering  how  it 
could  have  happened,  she  neared  the  bottom  of  the  chest,  and 
with  the  last  bundle  pulled  something  out  upon  the  floor — Cice 
ly's  shoes ! 

Leaving  all,  she  ran  swiftly  down  to  the  school-room,  and, 
taking  the  girl  by  the  arm,  without  saying  a  word,  she  led  her 
out  into  the  hall. 

Being  a  physical  coward  by  nature,  and  having  been  taught 
in  her  convent  to  bend  to  force,  Cicely  did  not  attempt  to  break 
away  ;  but  she  followed  with  a  disturbed,  affrighted  face  and 
unwilling  steps,  till  they  reached  the  attic  stairs.  There  all  her 
roses  left  her  cheeks,  and  the  sudden  consciousness  which 
leaped  into  her  eyes  showed  that  she  understood  the  win  and 
where  of  her  journey.  Then  she  resisted  the  firm  grip  which 
held  her  with  all  her  might. 

u  Let  me  loose,  aunty.     I  don't  want  to  go  up  there." 

"  It  is  no  question  of  what  you  want,  but  of  what  I  will  and 
you  shall,"  replied  Perdita,  pouring  the  steady  rays  of  her  black 
eyes  straight  into  the  retreating  blue  ones.  "  Come  on  !  " 

The  strength  and  purpose  in  the  captor  conquered,  and  the 
girl  let  herself  be  dragged  to  the  store-room,  such  a  dazzling, 
fair  culprit  as  was  never  seen  there  before. 

"  Now,  tell  me,"  said  Perdita,  pointing  to  the  shoes,  "  why 
did  you  put  them  there  ?  " 

Cicely  threw  around  her  such  a  despairing  gaze  as  might  be 
cast  by  the  sinners  who  cry  out  for  the  rocks  and  mountains  to 
fall  on  them  and  hide  their  guilt.  Overtaken  by  justice,  she 
dropped  on  her  knees  (another  habit  of  her  convent  life),  and 
clasped  her  hands. 

"  I  didn't  like  to  wear  them,  aunty,  they  are  so  big.  1  won't 
never  do  so  again ;  forgive  me  this  time." 

"  Do  you  know  what  it  says  in  the  Bible  about  liars  ?  "  asked 
the  young  judge  sternly. 

"  Not  in  particular,  aunty,"  she  replied,  turning  pale. 


Stratum  Super  Stratum.  343 

"  Come  to  my  room  instantly  and  find  out." 

No  time  was  lost  between  the  sentence  and  its  execution,  and 
in  another  piinute  Cicely  was  seated  in  a  chair  with  a  Testament 
in  her  hands. 

"  Now  read  aloud  the  verses  !  "  commanded  the  judge. 

Cicely  began  the  sentence  in  Revelations  which  appoints  the 
society  and  state  of  all  liars,  and  before  she  finished,  rich  crim 
son  flooded  her  face  again,  mounting  and  mounting  in  her 
creamy  cheeks ;  and  there  was  such  a  strange,  baleful  glitter  in 
her  eyes  as  she  lifted  them,  that  Perdita  positively  shuddered. 
She  tried  to  fathom  the  emotion  beneath  this  resplendent  bril 
liance.  Was  it  fear  ?  was  it  remorse  ?  Or  could  it  be  revenge  ? 

"  Do  you  like  the  company  of  that  sort  of  people,  Cicely  ?" 
asked  she. 

"  No,  aunty.  Oh,  I  am  so  sorry  !  I'll  wear  the  shoes  to 
meeting  next  Sunday  for  a  penance,"  cried  the  girl,  dropping 
her  face  into  her  beautifully-formed,  clammy  hands,  weeping 
bitterly,  and  convulsed  with  sobs.  "  Only  forgive  me  !  " 

"You  go  on  the  road  you  are  treading  now,  and  you'll  land 
among  them,  no  matter  how  you  shoe  your  feet,  just  as  sure  as 
the  Bible  is  true." 

The  abject  abasement  of  the  sinner  was  so  complete,  her 
tears  so  copious,  her  sighs  so  profound,  her  promises  so  profuse, 
that  Perdita  felt  hope  kindle  within  her.  "  At  last  I  have  touched 
a  tender  spot  !  "  she  thought ;  "  I  have  found  a  human  soul ! " 
And  a  vision  of  better  things  dawned  on  her. 

It  was  with  real  womanly  sympathy  that  she  took  the  penitent 
to  her  arms,  and  wiped  away  her  tears,  comforting  her  with 
good  words  which  flowed  warm  and  glowing  from  her  upright 
heart.  It  was  akin  to  the  joy  of  the  angels  over  one  sinner 
who  repenteth. 

When  she  put  her  softly  away,  with  gentle  elder-sister  touch, 
and  stooped  to  pick  up  the  sheets,  the  girl  asked  a  question. 

Every  trace  of  grief  had  disappeared,  except  the  gorgeous 
coloring,  and  the  melting  softness  which  moistened  her  eyes, 


344 


Beauty  and  the  Beast. 


and  she  tossed  off  the  long  flaxen  curls  which  floated  over  her 

head,  and  this  was  what  she  said  : 

"  Aunty,  will  you  buy  me  a  new  scarf  for  my  white  poplin  ?  " 

Perdita  stopped  in  the  doorway  and  looked  back  at  her. 

"  Yes  !  wherefore  not  ?     Butterflies  should  be  gaudy  ;  bask 

and  flutter  to-day,  for  to-morrow  you  die." 


CHAPTER    L. 

BEAUTY  AND   THE    BEAST. 


HERE'S  a  man  down-stairs  that  wants  to 
see  you,  sir,"  said  Hannah,  putting  her 
head  into  the  half  open  door  of  the 
studio.  "  Sharp,  he  says  his  name  is." 

"  Ah,  yes,  my  horse-dealing  friend," 
replied  Mr.  Slaughter*;  "say  1  will  be 
with  him  directly." 

"  I  heerd  you  wanted  a  hoss,  Square," 
said  Sharp,  when  the  artist  appeared.  "  I've  got  the  likeliest 
lot  of  Western  horses  I  ever  had.  I'll  sell  'em  cheap,  di>^ 
cheap  !  It'll  be  some  time  afore  there's  much  fodder,  and  I 
don't  want  to  keep  'em  on  nohow.  I've  made  up  my  mind 
to  sell  right  off,  and  I'll  give  you  a  first-rate  bargain.  I  fetched 
up  a  pair  of  readers  for  you  to  look  at ;  bright  bay,  no  white 
about  'em  nowheres  ;  warranted  sound  and  kind.  I  don't 
never  take  no  stock  in  white-footed  horses.  You  know  the 
old  saying,  Square  : 

"  '  One  white  foot,  try  him  ;  two  white  feet,  fly  him ; 

Three  white  feet,  look  about  him  ;  four  white  feet,  do  without  him ; 

Four  white  feet  and  one  white  nose, 

Take  off  his  hide  and  give  him  to  the  crows. 


Beauty  and  the  Beast.  345 

I  think  there's  a  good  deal  in  it,  sure  as  you're  born.  There, 
now  !  that  -team  ain't  fixed  up  a  mite  ;  I  don't  jockey,  Square. 
I  ain't  one  of  them  fellars  that'll  whale  a  hoss  in  the  stable,  to 
make  him  look  lively  when  he's  fetched  out.  I  don't  feed  'em 
no  drugs.  You  see  'em  jest  as  they  be  ;  no  better,  no  wuss. 
I  hain't  speeded 'em  no  great,  neither ;  but  I  know  they'll  pull 
in  a  load  of  hay  about  as  square  as  any  team  you  can  start. 
You  jest  put  your  silver  fixins  onto  'em  and  hitch  'em  to  your 
kerridge,  and  you'll  find  they'll  look  about  X,  that's  my 
opinion." 

Mr.  Slaughton  took  an  instant  liking  to  the  pair  ;  they  were 
handsome  creatures,  well-built,  bright-eyed,  good  steppers,  full 
of  spirit,  and  obedient  to  the  voice  ;  they  were  not  a  perfect 
match.  Every  horse  lover  knows  how  nearly  impossible  it  is  to 
get  a  perfect  match.  If  size  and  color  suit,  there  is  sure  to  be  a 
difference  in  speed,  or  temper,  or  something. 

I  know  a  man  who  paid  a  hundred  dollars  to  get  four  ears 
exactly  the  same  size  in  his  carriage  pair,  and  I  consider  his 
money  well  spent.  When  a  person  has  got  to  sit  behind  a 
span  of  horses  every  day,  he  soon  knows  every  inch  of  them, 
and  a  blemish  gets  to  be  unbearable.  Besides,  good  horses 
are  such  kind,  reliable  friends,  and  one  does  not  like  to  feel  im 
perfections  in  one's  darlings.  I  am  a  full  believer  in  the  im 
mortality  of  animals.  It  seems  to  me  heaven  would  scarcely 
be  paradise  without  fleet,  gay  horses  ;  how  are  children  to  be 
content  without  faithful  dogs  ?  and  the  houses  not  made  with 
hands  should  have  purring  cats  to  make  their  comfort  complete. 

Meantime,  Mr.  Slaughton  had  struck  a  bargain,  and  was  be 
come  owner  of  the  readers.  He  considered  his  investment  as 
an  experiment,  from  which  he  hoped  for  a  good  result. 

Thus  far,  Perdita  had  steadily  refused  to  accept  a  place  in 
the  family  carriage,  and  preferred  walking  to  church  as  well  as 
everywhere  else. 

Her  reason  was  a  childish  one,  but  it  was  sufficient  to  make 
her  persist  in  a  resolution  she  had  taken. 
IS* 


346  Beauty  and  the  Beast. 

Before  she  had  been  long  at  the  mansion-house  the  dame 
ordered  out  the  vehicle  to  carry  her  to  the  village  ;  and  as  she 
was  putting  on  her  wraps,  she  said  to  her  daughter-in-law  : 

"  Mebbe  you'd  like  to  go  along,  you  haven't  ever  been  used 
to  many  rides ;  I  expect  it  will  be  quite  a  treat  to  you." 

Samuel  Slaughton,  who  was  to  drive,  stood  by  the  table  and 
heard  the  remark,  and  to  Perdita's  mind  he  appeared  to  coin 
cide  in  his  mother's  opinions.  It  seems  too  paltry  a  thing  to 
be  treasured  up  for  resentment — perhaps  it  was  the  truth  of  the 
statement  which  made  it  rankle  so  ;  but  nothing  would  have 
induced  her  to  accept  a  place  after  that,  and  to  make  it  worse, 
Mr.  Slaughton  once  offered  her  Slowgo's  escort,  when  she 
wanted  to  collect  leaves. 

It  had  seemed  quite  right  and  proper  for  him  at  that  epoch, 
but  he  would  be  ashamed  to  repeat  his  proposition  now. 

The  time  had  come  when  he  wanted  his  girl-wife's  company  ; 
he  wanted  it  all  to  himself,  and  he  meant  to  have  an  establish 
ment  fit  to  offer  her.  He  anticipated  some  trouble  before  she 
would  consent  to  sit  by  his  side  of  her  own  will ;  and  he 
looked  for  a  good  deal  of  exhilarating  interest  in  process  of  the 
negotiations  ;  but  he  hoped  for  a  favorable  result.  And  while 
he  patted  the  handsome  beasts  as  they  were  led  off,  he  was 
thinking  of  Perdita  ;  how  she  would  look,  what  she  might  say  ; 
what  bright  sparkle,  what  smart  quips  and  biting  speeches  he 
should  hear,  when  he  brought  her  to  look  at  his  turnout,  and 
begged  her  to  take  the  first  place  in  the  elegant  new  carriage, 
which  no  other  woman  had  ever  occupied,  nor  ever  should 
occupy,  if  she  accepted.  If — aye,  there  came  a  point  to  think 
of,  a  theme  to  study. 

After  the  money  was  paid,  Mr.  Slaughton,  who  had  been  ex 
amining  the  animal  the  trader  had  ridden  over  (a  coal-black, 
with  a  tail  which  swept  the  ground),  asked  him  what  he  wanted 
for  his  saddle  horse. 

"  Oh,  Square  !  I  don't  dast  to  sell  that  critter  ;  to  tell  you 
the  unvarnished  truth,  I  couldn't  warrant  him.  He  ain't  noth- 


Beauty  and  the  Beast.  347 

ing  but  a  colt,  and  as  wild  as  the  devil ;  if  anybody  should  git 
hurt  by  him  I  should  feel  to  blame.  I  ain't  afeard  of  him  my 
self,  'cause  I  know  his  tricks  ;  he'll  buck,  he'll  kick,  he'll  run, 
he'll  shy  ;  there  ain't  much  a  hoss  can  do  but  what  he's  up  to  ; 
but  he  kinder  knows  me,  and  we  git  along  fustrate." 

"  Full  of  accomplishments  !  "  replied  Mr.  Slaughton,  laugh 
ing  ;  "  but  I've  got  a  kicking  mule  in  the  stable  that  I'll  war 
rant  every  time.  How  will  you  trade  ?  " 

"Oh,  a  swap?  Well,  I  don't  know  ;   let's  see  your  mule." 

"  Don't  get  too  near  his  heels  !  "  exclaimed  Mr.  Slaughton 
when  Loppy  was  led  out ;  "  he  never  gives  much  warning." 

"  I'll  resk  him,  though  they  do  say  a  mule  '11  wait  ten  years 
for  a  chance  to  kill  a  man,  and  drap  him  at  last.  Good-sized 
fellar,  ain't  he  ?  " 

"  He  would  be  a  very  valuable  animal  if  he  could  be  broken 
of  his  vile  trick.  Fm  rather  out  of  conceit  of  him." 

"  Law  !  Square,  it's  their  make-up  ;  they  will  express  their 
feelin's  with  their  heels,  jest  as  sure  as  a  minister  makes  jesters 
with  his  hands  ;  you  must  take  both  sorts  as  they  be.  I  had  a 
neighbor  that  used  to  heave  a  billet  of  wood  at  hissen  every 
time  he  brayed  ;  that  didn't  do,  and  so  he  tied  a  block  to  his 
tail,  but  jest  as  soon  as  he  took  it  off,  away  he  went  again  as 
musical  as  ever  ;  tain't  no  use  to  go  agin  natur.  Wall,  if  you'll 
say  a  hundred  to  boot,  you  may  hev  the  colt,  as  you  seem  to 
hev  took  a  notion  to  him.  I  ain't  noways  particular." 

"  A  hundred  dollars  !  Oh,  no  ;  I  couldn't  afford  to  make  such 
a  loss.  I  paid  five,  but  I'll  give  you  fifty." 

"  Wa'll,  it's  a  trade,  Square  ;  you  acted  like  a  gentleman 
about  the  readers,  and  I  ain't  goin'  to  be  mean.  I  want  a 
good,  strong  mule  to  break  up  my  faller  piece,  and  I'll  put  this 
customer  into  it.  I  hate  to  part  with  the  colt,  too  ;  him  and  me 
we've  had  some  nip  and  tuck  times.  I  should  feel  queer  to 
back  a  hoss  that  hadn't  got  no  spice  into  him;  he'll  make  a 
likely  one,  if  he  gits  well  broke  ;  he's  kind,  for  all  his  obstrop- 
olousness.  The  neighbors  give  him  an  awful  name,  and  he  does 


348  Beauty  and  the  Beast. 

bate  the  women  j  he'll  peel  his  teeth  jest  the  minute  he  sits 
eyes  on  a  petticoat ;  he  acts  as  if  he  wanted  to  stomp  on  'cm. 
I  tell  you  so  as  you'll  be  on  your  guard  ;  'tain't  safe  to  let  any 
of  your  women  folks  go  nigh  him." 

"  Forewarned,  forearmed  ;  that's  fair,  Sharp.  Here's  your 
money." 

"Thank  you.  Sharp's  my  name  ;  but  that  don't  make  no 
difference,  Square.  I've  heard  tell  a  good  deal  about  your 
Ayreshire  bull ;  they  say  he's  a  real  beauty.  I  wish  you'll  let 
me  take  a  look  at  him,  I  think  a  heap  of  good  stock." 

Like  all  gentlemen  who  spend  money  on  cattle,  Mr.  Slaugh- 
ton  felt  immensely  pleased  with  the  reputation  of  his  Ayreshire  ; 
and  he  led  the  way  to  the  paddock,  leaving  the  mule  hitched, 
all  ready  for  a  transfer  of  the  colt's  saddle  to  his  back  when 
they  should  return. 

Perdita  had  been  watching  them  from  her  window,  had 
observed  the  purchase  of  the  span  ;  and  while  her  husband 
stepped  about  here  and  there,  she  had  looked  at  him  with  com 
plaisance,  which  almost  amounted  to  admiration.  His  busi 
ness  among  the  steeds  reminded  her  of  the  praises  he  had  be 
stowed  upon  Sabrina  Bradshaw  in  the  never-to-be-forgotten  talk 
beneath  her  window;  and  a  sudden  desire  seized  her  to  ascer 
tain  whether  there  was  but  one  woman  in  the  world  worthy  of 
such  lavish  commendations. 

"  If  I  were  once  on  that  creature's  back,  I  could  ride  as  fast 
as  he  could  run,  I  suppose,"  said  she  aloud ;  "  I'll  try  it." 

The  spring  was  flitting  into  May,  and  the  day  was  warm 
and  sunny  enough  to  make  the  crocus  flaunt  and  the  grass 
grow  green  in  sheltered  spots,  and  the  soft  south  wind  kissed 
her  cheeks  and  coaxed  her  forth.  She  leaned  on  the  window-sill, 
idly  dreaming,  wishing  she  could  enjoy  such  pleasure  as  ladies 
had  who  owned  prancing  jennets  and  went  hawking,  when  a 
whinney  from  the  coll  fixed  her  thoughts  on  him.  He  looked 
quiet  enough,  with  his  head  down  ;  she  had  not  heard  the  fear 
ful  character  which  had  been  given  him  by  his  master,  and  it 


Beauty  and  the  Beast.  349 

appeared  the  easiest  thing  in  the  world  to  spring  on  his  back 
and  gallop  away — just  a  little  turn  to  make  sure  she  was  able 
to  do  it,  while  she  had  an  opportunity. 

She  hurriedly  descended  the  stairs,  and  running  down  the 
walk  she  stepped  upon  the  block,  close  to  the  animal's  head. 
Seeing  her  arrive  so  suddenly,  he  pricked  up  his  ears  and  eyed 
her  keenly,  then  laid  them  flat,  drew  back  his  lips,  and  began 
to  snort,  pulling  with  all  his  might  at  the  tie-rein.  As  it  was 
buckled  about  his  neck  and  fastened  in  a  strong  knot,  he  gave 
up  trying  to  get  away,  and  reared  on  his  hind  legs  as  if  he  would 
like  to  trample  on  her. 

She  walked  quietly  past  him,  keeping  out  of  his  reach,  sing 
ing  softly  to  herself,  while  she  gathered  some  tender  grass, 
which  she  offered  him,  going  close  to  his  head,  and  taking  him 
firmly  by  the  bit. 

He  showed  her  the  whites  of  his  eyes,  and  tried  the  strength 
of  her  grip.  Finding  it  steady,  he  ceased  pulling,  and  treated 
her  to  a  few  more  snorts,  a  couple  of  jumps,  and  then  stopped 
to  see  how  she  liked  him. 

She  smiled,  and  extended  to  him  the  grass  she  held  in  her 
fist. 

"  Come,  try  it,  there's  a  dear  fellow  !  it's  very  good,  it's  sweet, 
it's  fresh,  I  plucked  it  for  you  ;  the  dew  is  scarcely  off  it ;  come., 
come,  let's  be  good  friends.  Give  me  just  one  little  ride  on 
your  back,  you  handsome  thing,  do  ! " 

Whether  it  was  her  soft  voice,  caressing  and  musical,  her 
fearlessness,  her  beauty,  her  resolute  eyes,  her  magnetic  touch, 
or  the  temptation  of  the  green  blades  she  offered,  or  all  together, 
the  colt  changed  his  mind  gradually,  darting  back  a  good  many 
times,  just  as  he  seemed  settled  to  amicable  relations.  Finally 
he  opened  his  lips  and  took  in  the  appetizing  morsel,  and  very 
gently  too,  as  if  not  wishing  to  hurt  the  little  hand  which  held  it. 

While  he  ate,  she  patted  his  neck,  crooning  praises  of  his 
symmetry  and  strength,  as  if  she  were  weaving  a  charm.  He 
fidgeted  when  she  removed  her  touch,  and  nervously  watched 


350  In  tinty  and  the  Beast. 

her  motions  while  she  stooped  again,  gathering  a  fresh  supply 
of  temptation  ;  but  he  put  both  his  small  cars  forward  in  pleased 
expectancy,  and  could  hardly  wait  till  she  came  again,  and  this 
time  he  took  eagerly  the  treat,  just  seizing  it;  and  then  Perdita 
made  a  basket  of  her  apron  and  filled  it,  seeking  under  the 
walls  and  in  all  sheltered  places  for  the  best ;  and  she  stood 
with  one  arm  around  his  neck  while  he  ate,  and  her  face  close 
to  his  sleek  head,  as  if  rounding  her  spell. 

She  almost  forgot  to  be  afraid,  and  he.  had  no  longer  any 
dread  of  her.  Then  she  undid  his  halter,  and  sprang  upon  his 
back.  It  was  a  liberty  he  had  not  anticipated,  and  he  curveted 
and  backed  and  pranced  sideways.  The  rider  trembled 
slightly  ;  he  was  not  a  very  high  horse,  but  she  felt  as  lifted  in 
the  air.  She  looked  resolute  and  determined  as  she  gathered 
the  reins  in  a  firm  grasp,  and  pressed  her  knee  close  to  his 
side.  She  knew  she  must  cling  for  dear  life  now,  or  be  dashed 
to  the  ground.  Instinct  taught  her  the  sure  seat — supple, 
swaying  to  the  animal's  motions,  watchful,  wary,  as  if  they  were 
of  her  own  volition.  The  praise  her  husband  had  bestowed  on 
Sabrina  Bradshaw,  the  beautiful  rider,  inspired  her;  and  she 
meant  to  ascertain  whether  she  was  not  able  to  be  Perdita,  the 
beautiful  rider. 

The  kicking  mule  Loppy  had  observed  the  rise  and  progress 
of  the  acquaintance  with  bitter  envy.  The  doctrine  so  full 
of  contentment  to  pious  souls,  "  Some  vessels  to  honor,  and 
some  to  dishonor,  according  to  the  pleasure  of  the  potter,"  did 
not  console  him.  He  wanted  fresh  grass  ;  he  liked  petting  ; 
and  as  the  new  friends  dashed  past  him,  lie  tossed  up  his  heels, 
and  gave  out  a  terrific  heehaw,  which  sent  the  colt  flying,  and 
startled  his  rider,  sending  the  hot  blood  leaping  through  her 
veins  like  a  battle-cry  of  freedom. 

When  Mr.  Slaughton  and  the  trader  returned  from  their  survey 
of  the  Ayreshire,  which  had  extended  to  an  examination  of  the 
Southdowns  and  black  pigs,  they  were  astonished  to  find  only 
Loppy  at  the  hitching  post,  flapping  his  long  ears,  and  mini- 


Beauty  and  the  Beast.  351 

nating  on  the  unkind  partiality  of  fate,  which  had  doomed  him 
to  hardship.,  "Oh,  wherefore  am  I  Loppy?"  was  the  sad 
refrain  of  his  plaint. 

"  Your  accomplished  colt  has  the  trick  of  slipping  his  halter 
in  addition  to  his  other  excellencies.  Well,  you  made  up  such 
a  catalogue,  that  I  can't  blame  your  leaving  it  out,"  said  Mr. 
Slaughton,  laughing. 

"  My  God  !  "  exclaimed  the  trader,  under  his  breath.  He 
had  been  looking  down  the  road,  shading  his  face  with  his  hand, 
and  had  not  heard  a  word  the  gentleman  said.  "  My  God  ! 
she's  a  dead  woman,  whoever  she  is;  no  female  can  ever  do  it 
and  live  !  Heaven  have  mercy  on  her  soul  ;  for  she's  going  to 
be  dashed  to  atoms  !  There  !  there  she  goes  !  she's  off !  no, 
she  ain't !  well,  I  vuin  !  " 

Mr.  Slaughton  wheeled  swiftly  and  gazed  in  the  direction  of 
Sharp's  pointing  finger,  and  the  sight  he  saw  curdled  the  blood 
in  his  veins. 

Perdita  on  the  colt,  who  reared  high  in  the  air ;  so  high  that 
only  a  little  pull  on  the  reins  must  make  him  fall  backwards. 
How  could  she  help  pulling  ?  How  could  he  help  falling  ? 

She  leaned  so  close  to  his  neck  that  her  long  hair  mingled 
with  his  jetty  mane  ;  and  tapping  his  shoulder  a  couple  of  times 
with  an  apple-branch  she  carried,  she  recovered  her  seat  easily 
as  soon  as  his  feet  touched  the  ground.  The  two  men  scarce 
ly  breathed  while  their  eager  gaze  followed  her,  swaying  to  his 
sudden  springs,  bending  to  his  mad  leaps,  almost  crouching 
with  bowed  head  and  curbed  chin  ;  so  intent,  so  alert,  so  watch 
ful,  that  the  beast  felt  her  his  conqueror,  he  owned  it,  and  sub 
mitted  to  her  rule.  They  saw  her  strike  him  several  smart  cuts 
%as  he  wheeled  and  backed,  hating  to  give  up,  and  putting  him 
self  through  all  the  motions  he  knew  to  be  rid  of  her;  and 
they  heard  her  voice,  clear,  vibrating,  musical,  no  tremor  in  it, 
no  fear,  not  even  shrillness,  but  full  of  will  and  power. 

The  gentleman  and  the  trader  were  both  ardent  horse  lovers, 
and  they  exchanged  glances. 


352  Beauty  and  the  Beast. 

"  By  Jove !  "  said  Sam,  under  his  breath,  "  she's  training  the 
beast,  actually  training  him ;  and  he  knows  it." 

"  That's  so,  Square,  just  as  sure  as  you're  born.  Well,  I  vum  ! 
Carry  me  out  any  bury  me  decent  I'm  as  limp  as  a  rag." 

Before  many  minutes  the  young  rider  came  cantering  lightly 
down  the  road,  and  drew  rein  at  the  landing-stone,  where 
Loppy  was  the  first  to  signal  their  arrival,  giving  out  a  jubilant 
"heehaw." 

Mr.  Slaughton's  eyes  were  full  of  tears  as  he  looked  at  the 
slender  girl,  who  had  dared  such  peril  and  had  come  out  of  it 
safely,  whose  bosom  heaved  with  the  full  inhalations  of  her 
panting  breath,  whose  black  eyes  sparkled,  whose  cheeks  and 
lips  glowed  crimson  red,  whose  long  tresses  mantled  her  like 
Godiva's. 

"Perdita!"  said  he  reproachfully.  It  was  the  very  firsl 
time  he  had  ever  called  her  by  that  name,  and  a  thrill  went 
through  her  at  the  unexpected,  unfamiliar  salutation,  and  its 
tone  of  alarmed  tenderness  ;  but  she  motioned  him  aside  when 
he  put  out  his  arms  to  help  her  dismount,  and  sprang  unaided 
to  the  ground,  keeping  her  hold  of  the  colt,  who  turned  his 
head  sniffing  her  garments,  putting  his  nose  on  her  hand  and 
looking  at  her,  while  his  sides  were  covered  with  white  foam 
and  his  inflated  nostrils  showed  their  ruby  lining. 

"  Some  more  grass,  Beauty  ?  Indeed,  you  shall  have  it,  for  it 
is  fairly  earned." 

Mr.  Slaughton  kept  his  eyes  on  her  while  she  pulled  the  ten 
der  green  and  tucked  it  between  the  -colt's  lips. 

"Well,  ma'am,"  said  Mr.  Sharp,  "there  isn't  a  female 
woman  breathin'  this  here  minnit  that  had  a  better  chance  of 
going  to  glory  than  you've  took  this  last  hour !  Why,  ma'am, 
I'd  no  more  a  let  you  mount  that  critter  than  I'd  a  stuck  my 
arm  into  an  oven  full  of  kindling  wood,  all  a  fire  for  the  Satur 
day's  baking  !  If  I  hadn't  a  seen  it  with  my  two  eyes  I 
wouldn't  a  believed  it !  If  any  man  had  a  told  me,  I'd  a  said, 
*  No  sir-ee  ;  it's  a  lie,  sir  ;  it  can't  be  done,  sir ! '  That's  what 


Beauty  and  tlie  Beast.  353 

I'd  a  said,  and  I'd  a  stuck  to  it.  Why,  all  the  folks  are  afeard 
of  that  colt.  I  never  get  onto  him  myself  but  I  know  I've  a 
fustrate  chance  to  break  my  neck  and  make  Susan  Sharp  a 
widow  ;  and  to  think  that  a  slip  of  a  girl,  a  pretty,  young,  slim 
thing  like  you,  should  a  fit  with  him  and  beat  him  ?  I  vum,  its 
tremendous,  its  amazin' !  Just  see  him,  Square  !  See  his  nose 
to  them  pinted  fingers.  If  I  hadn't  just  swapped  him  off  for 
your  kicking  mule,  I'd  a  gin  him  to  her  right  out — I  would,  by 
hokey." 

Mr.  Slaughton's  eyes  and  thoughts  were  so  intent  on  his  wife 
that  he  scarcely  heard  the  dealer's  talk.  She  was  worth 
looking  at ;  more  richly  colored  than  a  Castilian  maid,  impos 
ing  as  a  queen,  clean-limbed  as  a  bayadere,  full  of  womanly 
graces  ;  and  he  had  found  out  that  beneath  her  fresh  simplicity 
there  was  pride,  power,  vivid  sensibilities,  and  perfect  truth,  and 
he  was  thinking  "  What  if  I  had  lost  her  ?  What  if  her  rich,  pure 
life  had  been  dashed  out  in  this  fiery  race,  and  only  a  cold 
corpse  left,  only  mourning  and  sorrow  for  hope  ?  "  A  hard  pain 
gripped  his  heart,  and  his  voice  trembled  when  he  addressed 
her. 

"  You  ran  a  terrible  risk,  Perdita." 

How  pleasant  the  name  sounded  on  his  lips  !  She  had  been 
in  the  habit  of  railing  at  her  father  for  giving  it  to  her.  "  Why 
must  he  dub  me  '  Lost  Soul,'  "  she  used  to  say,  "  before  he  finds 
out  that  I  am  non-elect."  Perdita  !  Never  had  the  word  been 
syllabled  so  agreeably  in  her  ears  ;  and  she  veiled  her  eyes 
beneath  their  long  lashes  as  she  listened  to  his  reproaches. 

"  How  thoughtless  !  how  rash  !  What  wicked  daring !  And 
on  that  saddle,  too ;  how  ever  did  you  keep  your  seat  ?  " 

"  I  don't  know  how  I  did  it  myself,"  said  she,  parting  her  lips 
in  an  arch  smile.  "  I  suppose  because  I  wanted  to  live.  I  did 
not  wish  to  be  brought  back  here  in  spoonfuls  ;  but  he  did  get 
me  off  once.  I  know  he  laughed  in  his  sleeve,  that  is,  not  in  his 
sleeve  at  all,  because  he  has  not  got  any  ;  but  he  was  pleased, 
and  while  I  lay  on  the  ground  he  frisked  all  around  me,  kick^ 


*354  Beauty  and  the  Beast. 

ing  up  his  heels  in  the  most  abandoned  manner  ;  that  did  not 
last  long,  because  I  got  up  as  fast  as  I  could.  It  seemed  every 
fling  he  made  he  must  hit  me  ;  he  could  have  trampled  on  me 
so  easily  if  he  had  wished." 

"  How  dared  you  mount  him  again  ?     Who  helped  you  ?  " 

"I  helped  myself,  sir;  I  am  not  afraid  of  him,  at  least,  not 
much  ;  and  I  could  not  think  of  giving  in  to  a  colt.  I  have 
heard  that  my  mother's  people  used  to  carry  the  motto,  '  Vou- 
loir  c'est  pouvoir,'  and  besides,  I  had  other  motives  which  would 
have  made  me  try  again,  I  think,  if  I  had  broken  my  arm." 

A  wilful  pride  and  a  sort  of  dainty  bravado  kindled  her  face, 
which  made  him  smile. 

"  Hut  how  did  you  catch  him  ?  " 

"  I  caught  him  with  guile  and  grass,"  said  Perdita,  raising 
her  eyes  to  his,  and  laughing  lightly;  "and  I  found  this  stick 
before  I  mounted.  I  did  not  show  it  to  him  ;  he  was  much 
surprised  when  he  knew  I  had  it,  I  assure  you." 

"  Hut  he  won't  bear  the  whip  !  "  said  Sharp.  "  I  never  think 
of  striking  him  !  He  tears  things  all  to  bits." 

"  He  had  to  bear  it,  and  you  see  he  does  not  hate  me,  do 
you,  Beauty  ?  " 

"Have  you  had  a  vast  deal  of  experience  with  horses?" 
asked  Mr.  Slaughton,  trying  to  understand  how  it  could  be. 

"  I  never  mounted  a  steed  before  in  my  life." 

"  Jehosophat  ! "  ejaculated  the  dealer,  walking  around  her, 
as  if  she  had  been  a  statue  of  Courage  set  up  for  admiration. 
"  Well,  ma'am  !  durned  if  you  ain't  the  best  nateral  equestreen 
I  ever  seen.  I'll  bet  a  hundred  agin  my  kickin'  mule  there 
ain't  your  equal  in  seven  counties  !  " 

"Thank  you!"  replied  Perdita,  retreating  loftily  from  his 
scrutiny,  "you  compliment  me;  I'll  give  you  this  stick  with 
my  blessing,  Mr.  Slaughton,"  she  added.  "  Beauty  will  obey  it 
like  a  magician's  wand." 

"  Well,  Square,  good  day  !  "  said  the  dealer,  who  possessed 
the  sharp  penetration  such  men  are  often  gifted  with,  and  felt 


Beauty  and  the  Beast.  355 

that  he  was  no  longer  wanted.  "  Good  morning ;  I  wish  you 
prime  luck  with  the  readers.  If  they  get  obstropolous,  you'd 
better  let  her  break  'em  in  for  you — ha\v  !  haw  !  " 

As  he  mounted  Loppy  and  trotted  down  the  hill,  he  felt  well 
pleased  with  his  morning's  work,  and  the  startling  romance  he 
had  gathered  for  his  evening  rest  at  the  "Jolly  Brothers." 

"  But  Perdita,  stay  ! "  called  out  Mr.  Slaughton,  looking  per 
turbed  and  anxious,  as  if  he  was  uncertain  of  her,  not  know 
ing  what  feat  she  might  attempt  next.  "  Stay  ;  tell  me  how  you 
came  to  venture  on  such  a  mad  exploit." 

"  I  wished  to  ascertain  for  myself  whether  there  was  but  one 
woman  in  the  world  who  could  manage  a  horse,  whether  all  the 
skill  and  dash,  and  fine  handling  was  centered  in  one  only.  I 
think  I  am  very  fond  of  horses,  Chandy." 

He  started  as  he  recognized  his  own  eloquence,  and  it  came 
back  to  him  from  this  girl's  lips  with  such  mockery  as  was 
very  confusing  and  unpleasant. 

"  You  have  conquered  this  animal,  Ferdita,  and  you  have 
named  him  Beauty,"  said  he,  almost  bashfully.  "  I  wish  you 
would  accept  him  for  your  own.  If  you  refuse,  no  one  shall 
ever  ride  him  ;  he  shall  be  an  exempt  till  he  dies." 

"  Thank  you,  I  can't  hold  property  !  You  forget  that  I  am 
a  minor ;  but  I  will  exercise  him  for  you." 

"  But  you  won't  go  running  off  alone,  though.  You  will  per 
mit  me  to  ride  with  you  and  take  care  of  you,"  said  Sam,  hesi 
tating  and  blushing  like  a  school-boy. 

She  looked  so  distant,  so  reserved  ;  she  remembered  so  well 
all  the  disparaging  things  he  had  said  of  her ;  that  he  never 
asked  for  her  society,  or  tried  to  approach  her  nearly  ;  that  his 
heart  did  not  misgive  him,  feeling  that  it  was  of  no  use  ;  she 
would  never  forget  and  forgive  so  as  to  be  friendly  and  con 
fidential. 

Had  he  been  less  influenced  by  these  thoughts,  less  diffident, 
less  modest  in  his  estimate  of  his  ability  to  please — had  he  gone 
on  chiding  as  he  had  begun,  showing  himself  masterful  and 


356  Beauty  and  the  Beast. 

determined,  she  might  have  yielded  to  his  power  and  kept  back 
a  reply  which  sharply  wounded  him. 

"  Thank  you,  Mr.  Slaughton,  you  couldn't  undertake  to 
teach  me  \  You  do  not  wish  to  play  Petruchio  to  such  an  Ethiop 
Kate.  I  have  not  forgotten  how  positively  you  declined  the 
role  ;  you  detest  black-browed  women  ;  I  do  not  resemble 
your  ideal  more  than  darkness  resembles  light.  Your  very 
words !  at  least,  you  must  admit  that  I  have  an  excellent 
memory." 

She  left  him  and  walked  up  to  the  house  ;  but  though  the 
opportune  moment  had  arrived  when  she  could  send  back  his 
sayings  with  double  scorn,  the  time  she  had  dreamed  of  and 
wished  for,  and  she  had  seized  it,  she  felt  ill  at  ease. 

Now  that  the  retort  was  uttered,  and  its  effect  was  as  over> 
whelming  as  ever  she  could  have  wished  in  her  bitterest  mood, 
she  took  no  pleasure  whatever  in  recalling  it,  or  the  attitude  and 
face  of  the  gentleman  she  had  forced  to  listen  to  a  speech  which 
all  the  provocation  she  had  received  failed  to  excuse  or  palliate. 

His  dignity  and  hurt  silence  made  her  seem  the  aggressor,  and 
rude  beyond  apology. 

He  had  allowed  her  to  leave  him  without  expostulations  or 
entreaties ;  he  was  offended,  and  she  had  wilfully  and  foolishly 
lost  her  chance  of  being  his  friend  ;  the  pleasant  evenings  must 
be  interrupted,  for  of  course  he  would  never  look  complacently 
at  her  any  more,  nor  chat,  or  read,  or  play  to  her.  No  more 
art  talk,  no  more  romance  of  travel ;  she  had  not  felt  how 
really  pleasant  a  pleasure  it  was,  till  now  that  it  was  a  pleasure 
lost. 

She  turned  to  look  at  him  when  she  reached  the  door.  He 
stood  where  she  had  left  him,  tapping  his  boot  with  the  apple- 
twig  she  had  confided  to  him. 

She  wished  to  go  back  and  say  she  was  sorry,  but  before  she 
gathered  the  requisite  courage,  he  leaped  upon  Beauty  and 
galloped  away. 

He  did  not  come  to  dinner ;  an  errand  took  him  to  Toptown. 


"Only  Housekeeper  and  Governess  " 


357 


He  had  a  new  carriage  to  order,  and  he  was  so  particular  in  his 
directions,  that  he  was  detained  till  the  last  train. 

She  had  the  library  fire  kindled  as  usual ;  she  obeyed  the  order 
still  in  force  to  sit  there,  but  she  sat  alone.  When  he  came  in 
from  the  stables  he  went  directly  to  his  room ;  and  it  was  with 
a  very  sober  face  that  she  gathered  up  her  work  and  shut  her 
self  into  her  own  solitude. 


CHAPTER  LI. 
"ONLY  HOUSEKEEPER  AND  GOVERNESS.' 


HE  artist  spent  much  time  in  his  studio, 
during  the  days  that  followed,  with  its 
door  locked.  The  landau  was  not  yet 
sent  home,  and  the  new  "  readers "  had 
never  been  harnessed.  He  said  little  at 
table,  and  came  no  more  to  the  library. 
He  neglected  all  opportunities  he  might 
have  found  to  make  his  peace  with  his 

wife,  to  whom  he  was  uniformly  polite,  but  not  demonstrative. 
She  could  not  have  been  out  of  his  thoughts  for  all  that.    He 

was  trying  to  paint  her  picture,  with  only  indifferent  success. 

His  remembrance  of  her  face  was  so  diverse,  he  had  seen  so 

many  expressions  mirrored  there,  that  he  failed  to  bring  upon  his 

canvas  any  single  one  which  satisfied  him. 

"Only  housekeeper  and  governess,"  said  Perdita  to  herself; 

but  she  no  longer  said  it  with  the  old  pride  and  positiveness ; 

what  had  been  a  defiance  was  now  a  lament. 


358    " Let  No  Man  Mock  Me,  for  I :;•///  Kiss  Her." 


CHAPTER  LII. 
'LET  NO  MAN  MOCK  ME,  FOR  i  WILL  KISS  HER.' 


N  a  little  old  brown  house,  at  the  foot  of 
the  hill,  across  the  brook,  lived  a  family 
who  were  in  no  very  good  repute  amongst 
the  neighbors. 

Of  the  father  they  said,  "his  fingers 
are  sticky,"  and  the  mother  was  idle  and 
slatternly ;  there  were  stories  afloat  that 
missing  garments  from  clothes  lines  had 

been  traced  to  their  possession,  reclaimed  by  the  strong  hand, 
and  the  woman  threatened  with  the  law  if  she  made  any  inort 
trouble. 

Built  against  a  side  hill,  the  house  had  two  stories  in  front, 
and  but  one  in  the  rear ;  the  door  of  the  upper  chamber  open 
ing  on  the  ground,  which  had  been  in  some  far-off  time  leveled 
into  a  small  yard  and  planted  with  old-fashioned  flowers. 

A  few  peonies,  Johnny-jump  ups,  and  hollyhocks  still  bloomec 
in  the  ragged,  neglected  beds,  which  looked  forlorn  enough  tc 
be  the  graves  of  the  former  owners. 

Into  the  upper  room  strangers  rarely  got  admittance,  and 
people  said  it  concealed  the  booty  of  the  marauding  expeditions 
of  the  Teazles,  gathered  in  their  nightly  prowlings. 

In  the  fall  they  bagged  the  nuts  off  the  hickory  trees  on  the 
neighboring  farms,  and  the  young  Batts  and  the  Pratts  had  to 
be  alert  to  save  any  for  themselves ;  so  of  course  the  young 
Batts  and  Pratts  had  no  good  words  for  the  Tea/les. 

When  there  was  squalling  in  the  hen-coops,  people  felt  pretty 
sure  that  Plato  Teazle  was  the  fox,  and  he  had  more  than  once 
been  peppered  with  shot,  and  mangled  in  traps. 


"  Let  No  Man  Mock  Me,  for  I  will  Kiss  Her"    359 

In  fact,  if  Mr.  Teazle  had  put  half  the  hard  labor  and  indus 
try  into  any  honest  calling,  which  he  expended  on  being  a 
rogue,  he  might  have  been  a  rich  man  and  set  traps  for  rogues 
himself. 

Fortunately,  there  were  but  two  Teazle  children,  a  boy  and  a 
girl,  the  lad  a  couple  of  years  older  than  Cicely  Vance,  and  the 
girl  about  her  age.  The  boy  was  a  living  confutation  of  the 
doctrine  of  blood,  for  a  more  right-meaning,  pure-hearted  child 
than  this  timid,  yielding,  gentle  Randy  Teazle,  could  not  have 
blessed  any  Christian  household. 

To  the  credit  of  his  parents  be  it  said,  they  never  tried  to 
make  a  thief  of  him,  and  seemed  afraid  or  unwilling  of  laying 
bare  their  wickedness  to  his  innocent  soul. 

The  girl  Sal  was  a  most  degenerate  plant  of  a  strange  vine 
as  bold,  cunning,  treacherous,  and  tricky,  as  her  brother  was 
single-minded  and  harmless. 

She  was  also  what  in  country  parlance  is  known  as  a  "  tom 
boy,"  full  of  health  and  vigor,  fond  of  climbing,  leaping,  jump 
ing  the  rope,  and  an  adept  in  all  out  of  door  sports  and  games, 
even  to  walking  on  stilts,  an  accomplishment  in  which  she  de 
lighted.  No  height  appalled  her,  and  she  would  mount  in  the 
air  on  her  wooden  legs  and  race  over  the  ground  like  an  ostrich. 

With  the  facile  readiness  her  Bohemian  training  had  taught 
her,  Cicely  made  their  acquaintance  during  her  rambles,  and 
she  liked  their  companionship,  because  they  looked  up  to  her 
as  the  little  lady  from  the  big  house,  and  submitted  easily  to  her 
whims  and  exactions.  She  especially  affected  Sal  for  her  nim- 
bleness  and  agility,  qualities  of  body  which  were  her  own  to  a 
remarkable  degree. 

It  was  not  difficult  to  coax  Dolly  Hethwaite  to  play  with  the 
Teazles.  Poor  Dolly  !  who  had  only  recently  been  allowed  any 
girl-friends,  and  who  had  conceived  a  violent  liking  for  Cicely 
Vance. 

Cicely  had  seen  many  people,  Cicely  had  actually  lived  in  a 
convent — a  thing  which  seemed  almost  too  strange  and  wonder- 


360   "Let  No  Man  Mock  Me,  for  I  ;;•///  Kiss  Her." 

ful  to  be  true  ;  and  although  she  soon  found  that  Cicely  had  a 
malicious  tongue  that  cut  all  ways,  and  though  she  was  made 
to  suffer  when  it  was  used  to  whisper  secrets  in  Sal's  ears, 
which  made  the  whisperer  and  the  listener  look  at  her  and 
laugh,  and  walk  away  arm  in  arm,  leaving  her  alone,  she  was 
too  glad  of  companionship  to  hold  anger,  even  when  they  con 
nived  and  plotted  to  bring  her  into  trouble,  as  they  often  did, 
that  they  might  "  have  some  fun." 

One  day  they  were  all  coming  up  the  road,  when  Sal  dis 
covered  a  stray  cow,  with  a  halter  around  her  neck  which 
dragged  after  her  while  she  nibbled  the  short  grass  at  the  road 
side.  Quick  as  thought  the  tomboy  pranced  up  and  seized  the 
rope,  making  a  captive  of  the  animal. 

"Hillo!  this  is  somebody's  cow.  Now  I'll  drive  her  to  the 
pound  and  get  a  dollar." 

"  Yes,"  said  Cicely,  flourishing  a  stick  she  carried,  "  we've 
found  her,  so  we'll  pound  her  ;  and  that's  a  good  rhyme." 

"She  seems  real  gentle,  doesn't  she?"  remarked  Dolly. 

"  Gentle  !  I  should  say  so  !  You  might  ride  her  as  easy  as 
nothing  ;  come,  hop  up  and  try." 

"  Dolly  is  afraid !  Dolly  dassent ! "  cried  Sal  dancing  about 
and  making  aggravating  faces. 

"  How  do  you  know  I  dare  not  ?  "  said  Dolly,  the  sad  romp, 
who  was  desperately  fond  of  sport,  especially  when  it  smacked  of 
adventure.  "  I'm  not  going  to  be  taunted  about  a  cow  !  Hold 
her  still  !  I'll  jump  on  her  back." 

Leading  the  beast  to  a  stump,  they  all  got  around  her,  and  up 
sprang  Dolly,  laughing  till  tears  ran  down  her  cheeks,  to  find 
that  the  patient  creature  minded  her  not  at  all,  but  just  went 
on  cropping  the  herbage,  stepping  as  she  fed. 

"  Isn't  she  fast  ?  How  long  do  you  suppose  we  shall  be 
going  to  Jericho  ?  That's  a  sum  for  you,  Sal !  Given  a  road 
and  a  cow,  what  rule  do  you  use  to  calculate  her  speed  ?  " 
said  Dolly. 

"  You'll  soon  find  out,"  spoke  up  Cicely,  winking  at  the  others 


"Let  No  Man  Mock  Me,  for  I  will  Kiss  Her."  361 

while  she  clapped  her  hands  and  tossed  up  her  hat.  Sal  fol 
lowing  her  lead,  gave  Bossie  two  or  three  smart  cuts  with  the 
rope's  end. 

Away  they  went  like  mad,  among  the  blackberry  bushes,  and 
though  the  rider  stuck  on  pretty  well,  she  finally  got  tossed  head 
over  heels  into  the  briers ;  and  having  freed  herself  from  her 
unkind  acquaintances,  the  cow  galloped  off  in  the  graceful  haste 
peculiar,  it  is  said,  to  cows  and  women. 

Miss  Vance  did  not  altogether  escape  either,  and  her 
hilarity  received  a  sudden  check,  for  as  Dame  Milk  Pitcher 
started,  she  ducked  her  head,  and  struck  out  with  her  heels, 
and  knocked  Cicely  backwards,  where  a  cruel  rock  wounded 
the  fair  flesh  of  her  shoulder,  and  set  her  screeching  out  such 
sharp  discords,  that  Sal  ran  home,  and  poor  Randy  turned 
quite  white,  and  shook  in  his  ragged  shoes. 

He  helped  her  up,  however,  and  fetched  some  water  in  his 
hat  from  the  spring  across  the  road,  and  begged  and  implored 
her  not  to  cry. 

"  Maybe  Dolly's  killed,"  whispered  he,  pointing  to  the 
bushes  ;  "  she  don't  make  no  noise." 

A  feeling  mixed  of  curiosity  and  terror  soon  stilled  Cicely, 
and  she  seized  Randy's  dirty  hand,  and  held  it  hard,  while  they 
stepped  on  tiptoe  towards  the  clump  of  alders  and  briers,  and 
peeped  in. 

"There's  her  apron,"  said  Cicely,  "and  there's  her  face. 
Yes,  I  expect  she's  dead  ;  get  down  on  your  knees  a;.d  touch 
her  ;  dead  folks  are  cold." 

Randy  tremblingly  obeyed,  creeping  through  the  brush  and 
reaching  out  a  quivering  finger  to  the  cheek  of  their  playmate, 
scarcely  touching  it  and  jumping  back  in  nervous  hurry. 

"  No,  she's  warm  ;  Dolly,  are  you  dead  ?  " 

Perhaps  the  human  magnetism  of  the  sudden  contact  aroused 
her,  for  she  struggled  up  and  began  to  cry. 

"  Come,  Dolly,   here's  a   good  place  to  get   out,"  pleaded 
Randy,  holding  apart  the  bushes,  though   the  vines   wounded 
16  " 


362    "Let  No  Man  Mock  Me,  for  I -will  Kiss  Her." 

him  sorely.  "  Do  come  !  don't  be  dead  !  you  ain't  hurt  much, 
are  you  ?  " 

"  No,  I  guess  not,"  said  she,  struggling  free  from  the  briers, 
and  shaking  herself.  "  I  wonder  what  it  was  that  happened  to 
me.  Everything  got  black,  and  went  round  and  round,  and  then 
I  must  have  gone  to  sleep,  for  I  forgot  you  and  the  cow  and 
all.  Well  \  I  am  a  nice  fright !  look  at  my  frock  !  what  a 
whipping  I  shall  get  if  father  finds  this  out,  and  serves  me  right 
too;  but  I  do  hate  to  be  dared." 

"  Couldn't  your  sister  fix  you  up  ?  "  asked  Randy,  who  shud 
dered  at  the  idea  of  his  friend  being  whipped.  "  She's  real  kind 
to  you,  I  think.  Do  try  to  have  her." 

••  What's  the  matter  ?  what  are  you  so  scared  about  ?"  replied 
Dolly  recklessly.  "  I  guess  you  know  how  it  feels  to  get 
whipped,  don't  you  ?  " 

"  I  should  rather  bear  it  myself  than  to  have  you,"  said  the 
lad,  in  a  firm,  low  voice.  "  I  would  if  I  could." 

"  You  really  look  as  if  you  would  ! "  exclaimed  Dolly,  full 
of  surprise.  "  Well,  I  shouldn't  have  supposed  it  possible.  I 
always  took  you  for  a  coward  !  " 

"  Did  you  ?  maybe  I  be.  I'm  afraid  to  steal  and  lie,  and 
I'm  afraid  to  plague  folks,  if  that's  what  you  mean;  but  if  you 
wanted  me  to  hurt  myself  for  you,  I'd  do  it  quick." 

"  How  odd  ! "  said  Dolly,  looking  him  over  in  surprise. 
"  Well,  I  never  !  If  you'd  keep  your  face  and  hands  clean,  what 
a  good-looking  boy  you'd  be,  Randy." 

•'  I  will  keep  them  clean,"  answered  the  lad  blushing  deep, 
"  as  clean  as  you  keep  yours.  Shall  you  like  me  if  I  do  ?  " 

"  Yes,  I  shall  so.  You  are  just  as  good-natured  as  you  can 
be.  I'll  lend  you  my  Robinson  Crusoe." 

••  What  is  that  ?  " 

"  Don't  you  know?  A  beautiful  story  of  a  man  who  got 
shipwrecked  on  a  desert  island,  and  lived  in  a  hut " 

"  I  wish  you  would  tell  it  to  me,  Dolly,"  said  Randy  with 
dejected  face.  "  I  don't  know  how  to  read." 


"Let  No  Man  Mock  Me,  for  I  will  Kiss  Her."    363 

"  Good  gracious  !  why  don't  you  go  to  school  and  learn? " 

"I  hain't  got  no  decent  clothes!  " 

"  Oh,  well,  don't  whimper ;  if  you  were  a  girl,  I'd  lend  you 
some  of  mine,  that  is,  if  I  had  any  to  spare,  which  I  haven't. 
I  wonder  if  Perdita  couldn't  do  something  about  it;  I'll  ask 
her  right  away." 

"  Oh,  dear  me,  how  my  shoulder  aches  ! "  complained  Cicely. 
"  You  don't  seem  to  think  of  me  at  all,  Randy,  and  I  knew 
you  before  she  did." 

"  I  am  very  sorry  you  are  hurt,  Cicely,"  said  Randy,  "  very 
sorry." 

"  You  don't  look  sorry  a  bit,"  replied  Cicely,  pouting.  "  I 
don't  care  whether  you  are  or  not  ;  you  are  nobody  but  Plato 
Teazle's  boy,  anyhow,  and  everybody  says  he's  a  thief." 

"  Cicely,  aren't  you  ashamed  of  yourself?  Now  you've  hurt 
his  feelings,"  exclaimed  Dolly  gazing  after  the  lad,  who  ran 
away  as  fast  as  he  could  without  once  looking  back. 

"  Who  cares  about  his  feelings  ?  "  said  Cicely  crossly.  "  He 
needn't  make  such  a  fuss  over  you,  then,  when  I'm  in  dreadful 
pain  myself." 

Cicely's  shoulder  had  to  be  dressed  with  half  a  dozen  strips 
of  court-plaster,  like  a  black  star  on  her  rosy  skin ;  and  as  her 
grandmother  applied  them  she  said  : 

•''  I  am  afraid  you  have  spoiled  your  best  dimple,  child.  Your 
neck  is  shaped  just  like  your  mother's  ;  she  had  dimples  in 
both  shoulders." 

"Oh,  aunty,  do  you  think  I  have  spoiled  mine?"  asked 
Cicely  anxiously. 

"  No." 

"  Will  this  hurt  prove  serious  ? "  inquired  Mr.  Slaughton, 
who  met  his  wife  with  her  hands  full  of  salves  and  bandages. 

"  Not  lasting,  for  her  flesh  heals  as  nimbly  as  that  of  evil 
spirits,  whose  bodies,  being  cut,  do  with  marvellous  celerity 
come  together  again,"  said  Perdita  with  a  certain  impatience 
of  tone  and  manner,  which  made  the  questioner  smile. 


364   "Let  No  Man  Mock  Me,  for  I  will  Kiss  Her." 

"  Plato  tells  us  that  the  air  is  as  full  of  spirits  as  of  snow-flakes 
in  a  January  storm,  but  he  does  not  give  them  any  of  their 
graceful  shapes,  all  spiritual  bodies  being,  according  to  those 
ancients,  round  like  the  sun  and  moon.  We,  however,  must 
believe  them  able  to  assume  forms  at  pleasure,  many  appearing 
as  beautiful  women." 

"  Oh,  yes ;  and  as  blue-eyed  children,  and  bulls,  and  bears, 
and  hyenas,  and  men  who  laugh  and  scoff  at  all  things,"  replied 
she  briskly,  as  she  stepped  away. 

"Henceforth,  my  wooing  mind  shall  be  expressed  in  certain 
'yeas'  and  honest  Kersey  '  noes,'  "  said  Mr.  Slaughton,  looking 
after  her.  "  Ah,  Chandy  !  If  I  could  but  find  the  way  to  woo 
my  Perdita  as  Florizel  wooed  his.  '  Were  I  crowned  the  most 
imperial  monarch  of  earth  and  heaven  and  all ;  were  I  the 
fairest  youth  that  ever  made  eye  swerve ;  had  force  and  knowl 
edge  more  than  was  ever  man's,  I  would  not  prize  them  with 
out  her  love,  for  her  employ  them  all,  command  them  or  com 
mend  them  to  her  service,  or  to  their  own  perdition.'  Your 
Billy  Shakes,  my  boy,  was  cunning  in  lore  of  women's  hearts, 
but  he  never  saw  my  Perdita,  who  belongs  only  to  herself  and 
not  at  all  to  me,  '  for  she  was  as  tender  as  infancy  and  grace.' 
Heigho  ! " 


Cicely,  the  Little  Rose-Bud. 


365 


CHAPTER     LIII. 

CICELY,    THE    LITTLE    ROSE-BUD. 


HE  young  governess  had  no  idea  of  teach 
ing  caste  to  her  charges,  but  Dolly's  mis 
hap  opened  her  eyes  to  the  necessity  of 
keeping  them  away  from  the  Teazles ; 
and  she  exacted  a  promise  of  her  to  leave 
them  entirely  alone,  and  having  obtained 
it,  she  felt  no  further  uneasiness  on  the 
subject. 

She  did  not  get  it  without  a  protest.  "  Sal  is  real  funny  and 
smart,  Perdita ;  I  don't  believe  she  is  so  very  bad.  And  as  for 
that  Randy,  he  wouldn't  hurt  a  fly,  and  he  isn't  a  coward 
either.  I'll  promise  if  you  want  me  to,  but  I  do  have  such  fun 
playing  with  them,  and  I've  got  to  lend  Rand  a  book ;  I  told 
him  I  would  ;  though,  come  to  think,  he  can't  read.  I  wish  he 
could  read,  Perdita ;  he  can't  go  to  school  because  he  has  no 
decent  clothes." 

"  That  seems  a  pity ;  I  must  think  about  it.  I  should  be 
glad  to  help  him  since  he  has  shown  such  a  kind  disposition 
towards  you." 

"  Do,  Perdita  ;  he  says  he  will  keep  his  face  clean." 
"  And  cleanliness  is  next  to  godliness,"  replied  Perdita  smil 
ing.     "  Truly  there  is  a  hope  for  the  boy." 

"  There  is,  if  you  conclude  to  look  out  for  him." 
The  prohibition  acted  as  an  incentive  upon  Cicely  Vance ; 
the  acquaintance  with  the  Teazles  immediately  assumed  all  the 
interest  of  an  intrigue  ;  and  she  set  her  wits  at  work  to  elude 
and  evade,  and  cheat,  and  play  truant,  and  plan  secret  meet 
ings.  And  she  got  up  a  sentimental  fondness  for  the  harmless 


366  Cicely,  the  Little  Rose -Bud. 

lad,  in  imitation  of  a  love  affair  carried  on  in  the  convent  by 
one  of  the  lady  boarders,  which  had  been  most  admired  among 
the  pupils,  who  looked  on  the  lady  boarder  as  a  great  heroine, 
especially  when  she  was  sentenced  to  bread  and  water,  after 
being  caught  tossing  a  billet  from  her  window. 

Cicely  longed  to  achieve  such  a  distinction.  She  transferred 
to  Randy  the  attentions  Malcolm  had  flouted  at ;  she  told  him 
she  expected  to  be  put  into  a  dungeon  and  was  willing  to  be  a 
prisoner  for  his  sake,  and  invented  heart-rending  tales  of  the* 
treatment  she  received  at  home  ;  she  bit  her  arm,  and  showed 
him  the  marks  of  teeth  in  her  flesh  ;  she  pulled  out  as  many 
hairs  as  she  could  bear  the  pain  of,  and  told  him  she  had  been. 
dragged  about  by  her  curls. 

As  the  lad  listened  with  lack-lustre  countenance  to  her 
statements,  and  offered  no  remarks,  it  is  impossible  to  say 
whether  he  believed  them.  Sal  being  an  outrageous  liar,  per 
haps  he  thought  it  a  vice  common  to  her  sex. 

When  she  had  arrived  at  the  end  of  her  inventions,  he  said, 
in  a  plaintive  voice  : 

"  I  wish  you  would  tell  Dolly,  when  you  see  her,  that  my  face 
is  as  clean  as  hers,  and  so  are  my  hands." 

Perdita  overheard  Cicely  confiding  to  Pandora  and  Betty 
that  Randy  Teazle  was  her  beau,  and  that  she  meant  to  run  off 
with  him  some  day  and  get  married. 

"  I'm  going  to  write  letters  to  Rand  every  day,  and  he'll 
send  some  back.  I  shall  have  them  enclosed  to  Dolly,  so  we 
shall  escape  discovery  and  avoid  suspicion." 

That  was  the  exact  phrase  the  lady  boarder  had  used,  and 
Cicely  liked  it  so  much  that  she  repeated  it  a  dozen  tint 

As  her  new  occupation  took  the  inconvenient  form  of  pilfer 
ing  everything  she  could  lay  hands  on  for  "dear  Randy,"  it 
cost  Perdita  some  watchfulness.  The  lad  was  not  to  blame, 
hov/ever,  for  he  rejected  her  goodies,  and  rather  than  see  them 
wasted,  Miss  Vance  shared  them  with  Sal,  and  "had  fun" 
devouring  them. 


Cicely,  the  Little  Rose-Bud.  367 

On  her  birthday  Mrs.  Slaughton  gave  her  grand-daughter  an 
album,  containing  the  photographs  of  her  brother  and  sister. 
It  had  handsome  gold  clasps,  and  "  Cicely  Vance  "  was  engraved 
on  the  cover.  At  this  stage  of  the  girl's  flirtation,  she  remem 
bered  that  an  album  would  be  a  nice  gift  to  offer  to  her  "  beau," 
so  she  bestowed  it,  with  a  set  speech  learned  out  of  the  "  Chil 
dren  of  the  Abbey,"  half  of  which  the  lad  did  not  understand ; 
and  she  showed  with  much  pride  the  fly-leaf  on  which  she  had 
inscribed  the  following  rhymes  : 

"  He  was  a  child  and  I  was  a  child, 

In  a  wild  place  by  a  river  ; 
And  we  loved  with  a  love  that  was  more  than  love, 

Randy  and  I  together. 
"(Signed)  Your  Little  Rosebud,  CICELY." 

"  Do  you  want  to  give  me  this  book  ?  "  asked  the  lad. 

"  Yes,  of  course.     I  bought  it  on  purpose  for  you." 

"What  for?" 

"  Because  you  are  my  beau,  you  know,  and  folks  always  make 
presents  to  their  beaux." 

"  There's  one  thing  I  should  like  to  have." 

"  What  is  it,  dear  Randy  ?  Only  name  it,  and  it  shall  be 
yours." 

"  I  should  like  to  own  Dolly's  picture.  I  think  she's  as  pretty 
as  a  pink." 

"  You  shan't  have  my  handsome  album,  and  you  shan't  be 
my  beau,  so  there  now  !  "  exclaimed  Cicely,  flouncing  off  in 
great  rage.  "  I  hate  you,  Randy  Teazle  !  " 

When  she  reached  home  she  confided  to  Pandora  that  she 
and  Randy  had  had  a  quarrel,  and  she  was  going  to  plague  him 
a  while  before  she  made  up.  "  That  is  the  way  folks  always 
do,"  she  added  ;  "it  wouldn't  be  any  fun  to  have  a  beau  if  you 
didn't  quarrel  with  him." 

Of  course  Perdita  observed  many  of  Cicely's  goings-on,  and 
after  some  pains  to  see  and  notice  the  lad,  she  found  a  glimmer 


368  Cicely,  the  Little  Rose-Bud. 

of  hope  beneath  the  troublesome  evil.  She  reasoned  on  this 
there  seems  but  one  chance  of  salvation  for  this  child. 
Love  may  new  create  her,  and  endow  the  irre.sponsible  animal 
with  a  human  soul  ;  and  as  the  boy  Randy  was  .-,0  harmless  and 
gentle  and  well  -disposed,  and,  moreover,  as  he  was  so  good- 
looking,  with  his  clean  face,  she  began  to  work  in  her  mind  a 
scheme  for  legitimatizing  Cicely's  fondness  for  him,  and  turning 
it  to  account ;  and  the  more  she  thought  of  it,  the  more  dis 
posed  she  became  to  propose  it  to  Mr.  Slaughton  for  ap 
proval. 

She  meant  to  separate  Randy  as  much  as  possible  from  his 
sister  Sal  and  his  home  influences,  and  bring  him  into  her  school, 
giving  him  lessons  with  her  pupils,  so  fostering  whatever  good 
there  might  be  in  him  and  keeping  the  friendship  under  her 
own  eye  and  sanction.  She  had  already  reached  the  point  of 
clothes,  when  she  was  disturbed  by  an  event  which  checked  the 
current  of  her  intentions. 

The  dame  was  spending  a  week  with  the  Brandegees,  and 
Mr.  Slaughton  was  in  Toptown,  when  Cicely  came  to  her  on 
Saturday  with  her  "so  affecshunut"  manner. 

"Aunty,  may  I  go  down  and  see  Dolly  a  little  while  this 
afternoon  ;  she  has  promised  to  show  me  her  patch-work." 

Perdita  felt  glad  to  be  asked  in  a  straightforward  way,  and 
pleased  that  the  girl  did  not  steal  off  as  she  was  apt  to  do ;  and 
she  readily  consented. 

"  Don't  stay  to  tea,  Cicely,"  she  added,  knowing  right  well 
how  scant  welcome  there  was  for  unbidden  guests  at  the  par 
sonage,  especially  children. 

Cicely  flew  upstairs,  and  presently  returned. 

"  May  I  wear  my  baby-blue  sash,  aunty  ?  " 

••  What  !  with  that  dark  dress  ?  Certainly  not !  Don't  you 
know  such  a  delicate  tint  with  that  common  delaine  would  be 
horrible  taste  ?  Put  on  a  clean  white  apron." 

Cicely  went  stamping  off  with  her  under-lip  down,  and  Per 
dita,  when  she  heard  her  sobbing  on  the  stairs,  was  almost  sorry 


Cicely,  the  Little  Rose-Bud.  369 

she  had  not  permitted  her  to  make  a  figure  of  herself,  since  she 
so  much  desired  it. 

In  about  fifteen  minutes  she  came  gayly  down,  trilling  a  lay, 
and  wearing  such  an  unmeaning  smile  that  Perdita's  suspicions 
were  instantly  awake. 

"  Stop  a  minute,  Cicely,"  said  she,  "  let  me  look  at  you  ?  " 

"Oh,  don't  hinder  me,  aunty,"  replied  the  girl  sideling  out  of 
the  door.  "  I'm  in  a  hurry." 

"  But  have  you  got  your  sash  in  your  pocket,  Cicely  ?  " 

"  No,  ma'am,"  replied  the  rose-bud,  readily  turning  the  recep 
tacle  inside  out.  "  There  !  you  see  !  only  my  handkerchief.  I 
wouldn't  do  such  a  thing,  when  you  told  me  not  to  wear  it, 
aunty." 

"  Are  you  quite  sure  you  haven't  it  anywhere  about  you  ?  " 

"  Quite  sure,  aunty.  I  left  it  upstairs  ;  I'll  run  and  fetch  it, 
and  show  it  to  you,"  remarked  Cicely,  moving  off  with  suspi 
cious  celerity,  as  she  observed  her  aunty's  keen  eyes  fixed  on 
the  waist  of  her  dress. 

"  What,  then,  is  this  bunch  in  your  bosom  ?"  asked  Perdita, 
approaching  a  protuberance  with  her  finger ;  "  this,  right 
here  ?  Come,  pull  it  forth  and  let's  see  ;  if  it  is  a  swelling,  it 
is  dangerous  and  will  have  to  be  lanced." 

"  Oh  !   I  forgot,  I  believe  I  did  put  it  there,  after  all." 

Perdita  gazed  at  her  in  hopeless  amazement ;  only  an  animal 
without  conscience ;  a  delicately  colored  animal  much  fright 
ened  ;  a  tear-shedding  animal,  ready  to  pour  out  floods  of  sor 
row,  and  repeat  the  same  fault  as  soon  as  her  back  was  turned. 

"  Give  me  the  finery  ! "  said  she.  "  I  believe  it  will  one 
day  cost  you  your  soul,  if  you  have  any." 

"But  can't  I  go  to  Dolly's,  aunty?" 

"  Yes  go,  and  frisk  and  kick  up  your  heels  ;  get  such  enjoy 
ment  out  of  life  as  you  are  capable  of,"  said  Perdita,  turning 
her  back  on  the  culprit.  She  felt  sad  and  dispirited  all  the  after 
noon,  as  if  all  her  labor  had  been  for  naught,  and  everything 
was  vanity  and  vexation  of  spirit. 
1 6* 


370  Cicely,  the  Little  Rosc-Bnd. 

Night  dropped  upon  the  world,  but  Cicely  Vance  did  not 
make  her  appearance. 

Malcolm  came  up  to  spend  the  evening,  and  his  sister  asked 
him  why  he  did  not  bring  Cicely  along  with  him. 

"  I  have  not  seen  Cicely,"  was  his  surprised  answer. 

"  But  she  was  with  Dolly ;  you  might  have  seen  her,  if  you 
had  chosen." 

"  She  was  not ;  Dolly  and  I  have  been  assorting  garden 
seeds  together." 

"  Then  she  must  have  run  off  to  the  Teazles  again,"  said 
Perdita  in  a  vexed  tone  ;  "  that  child  will  worry  my  life  out." 

Mr.  Slaughton  came  in  just  in  time  to  hear  the  exclamation ; 
and  though  he  had  not  spoken  much  to  his  wife  since  the  pur 
chase  of  Beauty,  he  stopped  to  look  at  her,  and  inquire  what 
was  the  matter  ;  she  seemed  disturbed  and  distressed  beyond 
endurance. 

The  gentleman  was  a  close  observer  of  his  young  wife's 
troubles ;  but  after  his  offer  to  send  away  Cicely,  he  had  not  in 
terfered.  It  was  not  possible  for  him  to  be  blind  to  his 
mother's  partiality  for  the  rose-bud,  and  its  unhappy  effects. 

In  fact,  as  the  girl's  character  developed  under  his  notice,  he 
felt  afraid  to  send  her  away,  lest  she  might  make  shipwreck  of 
her  womanhood  before  she  knew  its  value  ;  and  the  more  he 
watched  Perdita's  right-minded  pursuit  of  her  duty  in  her  diffi 
cult  place,  the  sorrier  he  felt  that  this  young  girl,  only  a  child 
herself,  should  have  been  thrust  into  such  a  complication,  through 
his  easiness,  from  which  it  seemed  impossible  to  extricate  her^ 
and  he  more  and  more  wished  that  he  had  had  the  sense  to  woo 
his  wife  before  he  married  her. 

Stephen,  the  messenger  dispatched  to  the  old  house,  returned 
in  a  rasped  state  of  mind,  caused  by  the  treatment  he  had 
received  there.  Cicely  was  habitually  both  familiar  and 
insolent  with  servants. 

"  Yes,  ma'am  !  She's  there  fast  enough,  and  she  means  to 
Stop  there  all  night.  She  told  me  to  tell  you,  ma'am,  as  how 


Cicely,  the  Little  Rose- Bud.  371 

she's  not  a  going  to  come  back  up  here  till  she  gets  ready,  and 
you  may  help  yourself." 

Mr.  Slaughton  kept  silence.  He  was  curious  to  ascertain 
what  course  Perdita  would  take  under  this  provocation. 
Would  she  give  up  to  the  girl,  let  her  make  her  threat  good, 
and  calmly  pass  it  by  when  she  chose  to  return  ? 

He  was  not  left  long  in  doubt  j  for  after  an  instant's  gaze  in 
the  man's  face,  she  said,  "  Very  well,  Stephen,  you  may  go." 
Then  she  rose  and  stepped  quickly  and  firmly  up  the  stairs. 
Pretty  soon  he  heard  her  coming  down,  and  she  passed  the 
door  without  looking  in.  She  had  on  her  cloak  and  hood. 

He  hurried  after  her.  "  Where  are  you  going,  Perdita  ?  "  he 
asked  with  kind  solicitude  of  voice  and  manner. 

"  To  the  Teazles  to  fetch  home  Cicely  Vance,"  replied  she 
concisely. 

"  May  I  accompany  you  ?  " 

"  If  you  feel  inclined ;  indeed,  as  this  is  certainly  as  much 
your  business  as  mine,  I  think  you  had  better." 

It  was  a  rapid  walk  they  took ;  and  not  finding  his  young 
wife  in  a  conversational  humor,  her  husband  smiled  in  silence 
at  her  long  steps  and  rapid  progress. 

When  they  arrived,  they  heard  a  sound  of  "  revelry  by 
night,"  and  Cicely's  cracked  voice  above  all,  screaming  and 
laughing.  They  knocked  and  got  no  answer ;  they  tried  the 
door,  it  was  fastened ;  but  Sal  Teazle  lifted  the  window  just 
enough  to  hold  parley. 

"  Cicely  is  going  to  stay  all  night  with  me !  Father  and 
mother  are  gone,  and  I'm  lonesome." 

"Tell  her  I  want  her,"  said  Perdita. 

"  Open  the  door,  please,  Cicely ;  it  is  your  aunt,  and  she  will 
be  so  angry ;  do  go  with  her,"  pleaded  Randy. 

"  I  shall  not  do  any  such  thing.  She  won't  whip  me,  and 
her  scolding  don't  hurt  any.  I'm  in  and  she's  out ;  let  her  order 
till  she  is  tired  of  it.  I  won't  stir  a  single  step.  So  there, 
now  ! " 


372  Cicely,  the  Little  Rose- Hud. 

"  But  your  uncle  will  come  and  there  will  be  trouble.  I  do 
wish  you  would  go." 

"  I  shan't,  then  1  Uncle  Sam  is  gone ;  and  so  is  grandma. 
I'm  glad  I  can  plague  the  hateful  old  aunty  that  wouldn't  let 
me  wear  my  blue  sash  ;  maybe  I  won't  ever  go  back  any 
more." 

Before  the  girl  had  finished  her  speech,  Perdita  turned  and 
laid  a  hand  on  Mr.  Slaughton's  arm.  Such  a  firm  p'a-p  as 
showed  that  the  motion  was  involuntary,  but  which  set  his 
pulse  throbbing  ;  she  had  never  touched  him  willingly  Mnce 
the  day  when  she  placed  her  fingers  in  his  at  the  old  parsonage. 

"Are  you  strong  enough,"  asked  she  in  a  low,  intense  voice, 
"to  break  in  this  door  ?  If  you  are  not  able  to  do  it  alone,  I 
will  add  my  strength  ;  the  idea  of  being  braved  by  a  child  !  It 
is  not  good  for  her  to  leave  her  here.  If  it  were,  I  would  not 
suffer  it.  She  shall  come  forth,  she  shall  go  with  me." 

Mr.  Slaughton  smiled  in  the  midst  of  his  anxieties. 

"  As  she  gets  stubborn,  you  become  firm,  I  perceive  ;  and 
you  are  right.  I  don't  need  any  help,  I  think." 

He  set  his  broad  shoulder  to  the  door,  and  it  yielded  in 
spite  of  bolt  and  lock. 

"  There  ! "  said  he.  "  How  do  you  like  me  in  my  new  rule 
of  house-breaker.  Now  then,  enter." 

When  Cicely  espied  her  uncle  she  stopped  in  the  middle  of  a 
triumphant  joy-dance  she  had  been  executing  over  their  sup 
posed  victory,  and  turned  as  pale  as  death.  She  retreated  to 
the  farthest  corner  of  the  room,  an  impersonation  of  cowar 
dice. 

Sal  stood  one  moment  full  of  astonishment,  bold-eyed  and 
impudent. 

"  You'll  get  took  up  for  banging  our  door  down,  so  you  will  ; 
and  you'll  go " 

She  did  not  finish  her  sentence,  for  by  the  time  she  had  got 
thus  far,  Mr.  Slaughton  had  advanced  and  laid  his  hand  on 
Cicely,  who  screamed  like  a  maniac. 


Cicely,  the  Little  Rose-Btid.  373 

Sal  made  a  spring  for  the  ground  outside,  and  went  and 
hid  among  thjs  bushes,  where  she  could  hear  and  see  what  be 
came  of  her  so  late  jubilant  companion. 

Cicely  never  in  her  life  forgot  the  feel  of  those  strong  fin 
gers  ;  nor  the  mortal  terror  which  shivered  all  through  her 
when  she  found  herself  a  prisoner.  It  was  a  good  thing 
to  happen  to  her,  though  ;  it  restrained  her  a  long  while 
from  overt  disobedience,  and  the  lecture  she  got  afterwards 
was  so  formidable  that  she  was  dreadfully  afraid  of  offending 
Uncle  Sam  again,  and  as  her  cunning  taught  her  that  the 
surest  way  to  please  him  was  to  be  obedient  and  sweet  to 
her  young  governess,  she  adopted  a  new  line  of  conduct, 
which  was  so  transparent  as  to  be  amusing,  and  which  was 
permitted  to  progress  as  long  as  it  kept  her  on  her  good 
behavior. 

She  was  "  so  affecshunut "  to  aunty,  again,  and  she  imitated 
some  fashions  she  had  learned  in  her  convent  among  the  sis 
ters  ;  she  made  a  flourish  of  kneeling  down  to  kiss  the  ground 
which  Perdita's  foot  had  pressed  ;  she  picked  up  her  skirt  and 
held  it  to  her  lips  ;  she  ate  piously  the  roses  she  gave  her,  and 
even  swallowed  the  cherry-stones  she  left  from  dessert.  She 
watched  eagerly  all  occasions  to  serve  or  wait  on  her.  She 
struck  attitudes,  and  folded  her  hands,  as  the  sisters  used  to  do 
before  their  patron  saints ;  all  which  harmless  performances 
were  not  interfered  with,  though  they  caused  some  mirth 
among  the  witnesses,  and  an  occasional  shudder  of  disgust  in 
their  object. 

"  1  remember  what  you  told  me  about  Sister  Josephine.  I 
am  afraid  you  are  not  more  sincere  now  than  you  were  when 
you  cheated  that  poor  harmless  old  woman  and  thought  it  good 
fun." 

"  But  oh,  aunty !  I  do  love  you.  You  are  so  pretty. 
She  was  wrinkled  and  ugly  and  horrid  !  1  shall  never  do 
anything  to  displease  you  again.  Never  !  never  !  never !" 

Each  "  never  "  was  punctuated  by  a  sounding  kiss  as  loud  as 


374       "A nd  He  Rode  on  His  Milk-  \ \ 7///V  Steed. " 

J'ulas',  and  Perdita  had  some  trouble  to  disengage  Cicely's  rosy 
white  arms  from  her  neck. 

"  Aunty,"  asked  she,  as  a  wind-up  of  her  passionate  caresses, 
"  aunty,  will  you  give  me  some  new  hair  ribbons  ?  " 


CHAPTER  LIV. 

"SO    HE    RODE   AND   HE    RODE    ON    HIS    MILK-WHITE    STEED." 

|HE  commotion  and  the  companionship 
had  a  good  sequence  for  the  young 
couple,  who  came  into  a  better  under 
standing  and  harmony  because  of  it ; 
insomuch  that  without  any  reference  to 
their  late  estrangement,  the  pleasant 
evenings  in  the  library  were  resumed,  the 
readings  and  the  talks  ;  and  Perdita  ob 
served  with  a  satisfaction  she  did  not  try  to  explain  to  herself, 
that  her  husband  always  addressed  her  by  her  name  ;  and  she 
found  it  pleasant  and  friendly  in  him  to  do  so ;  she  liked  the 
sound  of  it. 

"  Perdita,  come  out  with  me  this  afternoon  on  Beauty  ?  "  said 
he,  as  he  tossed  away  the  end  of  his  post-prandial  cigar,  "  I  have 
to  ride  over  the  hills  and  far  away,  and  I  shall  be  glad  of  your 
company," 

He  said  it  with  the  most  matter-of-fact  manner  he  was  able 
to  assume  ;  but  he  concealed  under  it  some  trepidation  ;  he 
feared  to  disturb  again  their  concord,  covetous  as  he  felt  of  the 
pleasure  he  sought. 

The  young  wife  flushed,  and  gave  him  such  a  sweet  look, 
that  he  felt  sure  of  her  compliance,  and  rejoiced  at  the  prospect 


"And  He  Rode  on  His  Milk-  White  Steed"      375 

before  him.  A  sudden  thought  obscured  her  face,  shutting 
it  down  under  'shadow,  and  the  eyes  which  had  spoken  a  glad 
"  Yes,"  now  looked  a  positive  "  No  ; "  and  while  he  waited 
anxiously  for  her  to  speak,  he  felt  disheartened  and  displeased. 
But  he  misunderstood  her  trouble,  which  was  that  she  had  no 
habit,  and  being  obliged  to  refuse,  she  did  it  so  ungraciously, 
and  with  such  haughty  coldness,  that  he  left  her  without  asking 
her  reasons  or  entreating  her  to  change  her  mind. 

"The  old  story,"  thought  lie  ;  "the  most  manly  thing  I  can 
do  is  to  stick  to  my  studio,  and  leave  her  alone  ;  and  I'll  do  it, 
by  Jove  !  I  wonder  what  she  thinks  I  am  made  of?" 

Mr.  Slaughton  did  not  bang  the  door,  but  he  shut  it  tight, 
dragged  himself  into  his  painting  jacket,  and  began  to  flourish 
his  brush  furiously.  His  manner  said,  "  I  don't  care  a  flip.  I 
won't  care  ; "  but  in  his  secret  heart  he  did  care,  and  was  very 
sorry  indeed. 

The  next  Saturday  she  knocked  at  his  door.  A  light,  deli 
cate  little  touch  it  was  too ;  but  thunder  might  have  startled 
him  less,  and  he  sprang  up  in  a  mighty  hurry  to  admit  her. 
There  she  stood,  sure  enough  !  in  a  blue  habit  which  fitted 
exactly  her  slender  shape  ;  a  round  cap,  banded  with  Jack's 
many-tinted  feathers,  and  looking  very  meek  and  shame-faced. 

"  Will  you  come  out  with  me  this  afternoon  for  a  canter," 
said  she.  "  I  have  to  ride  over  the  hills,  and  I  should  be  glad  of 
your  company." 

She  looked  in  his  face,  awaiting  his  answer,  and  he  could  not 
help  smiling  at  her  half  humble,  half  proud  demeanor. 

"  On  one  condition,"  he  replied  shortly. 

"  And  what  is  that  ?  " 

"  You  shall  tell  me  truly  why  you  refused  me." 

"  Because  I  had  no  habit.  I  can  gallop  about  by  myself  in  a 
short  skirt ;  but  I  did  not  dare  to  offend  your  critical  taste  by 
any  such  absurdities" 

"  Is  that  the  real  and  only  reason?  "  asked  he  earnestly. 

"  Yes ;  and  a  good,  respectable  and  sufficient  reason  it  is. 


376       '  'A mi  //<•  Rode  on  His  Milk-  \  \  'kite  Steed. ' ' 

If  you  had  not  gone  off  in  such  a  hurry,  I  could  have  told  you 
then.  I've  worked  very  hard  since,  and  I  have  made  this 
(spreading  her  anus  and  looking  down  at  herself),  and  I  am 
come  the  very  first  hour  after  it  was  finished  to  beg  you  to 
forget  my  rudeness  and  get  a  gallop." 

"  I  am  afraid  /might  have  seemed  a  little  rude.   I  really " 

"Yes,  you  did.  I  felt  that  you  were  not  polite  ;  but  1  am 
too  well  reared  to  expect  politeness  from  men.  So  you  see  I 
set  clown  your  behavior  to  sex,  and  don't  count  it." 

Mr.  Slaughton  was  only  thirty  years  old,  after  all,  and  his 
mighty  resolutions  vanished  like  mist  before  the  sun  ;  he 
reached  out  and  seized  both  Perdita's  hands. 

"  How  long  must  this  state  of  things  last  between  us  two  ?  " 
asked  he  in  a  quick  way.  "When  will  you  make  up  your  mind 
to  be  kind  and  friendly,  so  that  I  shall  not  dwell  on  the  edge 
of  a  volcano,  which  may  break  out  any  moment  and  ruin  my 
happiness  ?" 

••  When  I  can  forget  how  I  came  to  this  house,  and  your 
reception  of  me,"  replied  she,  drawing  back.  "  A  man  does  not 
look  for  much  happiness  from  his  housekeeper.  You  had  better 
leave  all  unpleasant  topics  alone,  Mr.  Slaughton.  It  is  the  only 
way  for  two  people  to  be  comfortable  who  have  so  many  un 
canny  things  to  remember.  The  ]>ust  is  not  dead,  but  vital 
and  full  of  bitterness.  I  don't  see  how  it  can  ever  be  for 
gotten." 

Her  words  were  not  what  he  wished  to  hear,  but  her  face  was 
aglow  with  blushes,  and  her  voice  was  tender.  He  had  a  good 
deal  to  say,  and  would  have  said  it,  probably,  had  not  the  dame 
suddenly  appeared  at  the  stair-head. 

I  1 1-  dropped  his  wife's  hands,  and  looked  as  guilty  as  a  bash 
ful  lover  stealing  his  first  kiss. 

••  \\V11  ;  I  never!  What  sort  of  masquerading  is  this  !  "  said 
she,  snipping  smartly  the  shears  she  carried  in  her  hand. 
"  You  look  as  if  you  was  fixed  up  to  ride  the  monkey's  pony 
in  the  caravan." 


"And  He  Rode  on  If  is  Milk-  White  Steed."      377 

"  I  am  inviting  Mr.  Slaughton  to  come  out  for  a  canter," 
replied  Perdita.  frowning. 

"  Oh,  I  want  to  know  !  Well,  fashions  hare  changed  since 
my  time,  I  do  believe  !  When  I  was  young,  the  ladies  waited 
till  the  gentlemen  invited  them  ;  but  we  had  something  else  to 
do  besides  gallivanting  about,  dressed  like  girls  in  a  May  fair, 
fit  to  be  hooted  at  by  the  boys ;  now  anything  and  everything 
is  proper." 

"  I  am  sure  my  habit  is  neither  absurd  nor  ridiculous," 
retorted  Perdita,  getting  red.  "  It  is  just  as  quiet  and  neat 
as  it  can  be." 

"  There  speaks  the  dress-ma&er,"  said  Mr.  Slaughton,  laugh 
ing,  "  and  I  fully  agree  with  her ;  it  is  a  most  becoming  habit, 
and  I  intend  to  don  my  velvet  jacket  and  buckskins,  that  I 
may  do  it  honor.  Come,  mother,  you  shall  see  us  off.  You 
are  a  judge  of  horsemanship,  and  you  were  a  good  rider,  as  I 
know.  I  remember  often  seeing  you  on  your  bay  mare  when 
I  was  a  little  shaver,  and  a  fine  figure  you  made." 

:<  That  is  true,  Sammy  !  I  do  seem  to  forget  that  I  was 
young.  1  don't  mean  to ;  but  I  do.  Oh,  yes,  I  used  to  catch 
the  old  gray  in  the  pasture,  when  I  was  only  a  little  trot,  and 
the  hateful  creature  she  would  start  for  the  stable  door  the  very 
minute  I  got  cleverly  fixed.  She  knew  it  was  so  low  she  could 
just  scrape  me  off  when  she  went  in  ;  that  was  her  little  joke, 
you  understand.  She  never  wanted  to  hurt  me.  Well,  go 
and  enjoy  yourselves  before  the  evil  days  come  and  the  hours 
draw  nigh  when  you  shall  say,  '  I  have  no  pleasure  in  them.' 
Yes,  go,  Perdita,  and  have  a  good  time." 

"  Thank  you,  ma'am,"  answered  Perdita,  scanning  the  old 
lady  curiously,  wondering  what  she  was  wiping  her  eyes  for. 

These  spasms  of  kindness,  these  lulls  in  her  temper,  these 
occasional  struggles  to  be  benevolent  and  indulgent,  which 
were  so  short-lived,  so  frequently  disturbed  by  some  burst  of 
injustice  or  impatience,  pu//led  her.  She  could  not  understand 
the  secret  bitterness  of  the  mother,  jealous  of  her  only  son's 


378      "And  He  Rode  on  His  Milk-  White  Steed." 

affection — an  experience,  which,  strange  to  say,  had  not  entered 
into  the  dame's  calculation,  when  she  was  so  eagerly  determined 
to  bring  him  home  a  wife  ;  nor  the  sour,  spiteful  disfavor  which 
the  aged,  whose  prime  is  past,  whose  capacities  are  weakened, 
who  are  laid  on  the  shelf  and  superseded  in  their  duties,  are 
apt  to  feel  for  the  young  who  have  yet  to  tread  the  life-road, 
full  of  the  hopes,  vigor  and  spirits  they  have  outlived. 

There  was  yet  another  moving  cause  for  the  dame's  growing 
peevishness  j  she  looked  upon  herself  as  doomed,  and  was  wait 
ing  for  the  summons  which  one  more  dream  of  the  white  horse 
would  bring  her.  She  had  formed  a  habit  of  watching  her 
symptoms,  trying  to  calculate  the  natural  probabilities  in  her 
case.  She  observed  her  appetite,  complained  of  bad  sleep ; 
she  swallowed  all  sorts  of  drugs,  wonderful  cures  of  nature's  ills 
were  eagerly  tested.  She  began  to  be  fussy  about  her  diet ;  some 
times  for  a  whole  week  she  would  touch  nothing  but  bread,  or 
rice,  or  fish  ;  she  fetched  all  the  water  she  drank  from  a  certain 
spring.  Doctor  books  became  her  favorite  reading  ;  she  no 
longer  felt  her  old  satisfaction  in  driving  Slowgo  ;  she  muffled 
herself  in  shawls,  shrouded  her  head  in  hoods,  and  was  troubled 
with  draughts.  She  went  about  saying :  "  Also  they  shall  be 
afraid  of  that  which  is  high,  and  fears  shall  be  in  the  way ;  and 
the  almond  tree  shall  flourish  and  the  grasshopper  shall  be  a 
burden,  because  man  goeth  to  his  long  home,  and  the  mourners 
go  about  the  streets  ; "  and  she  marked  with  her  pencil  all  the 
lugubrious  passages  in  her  Bible,  and  wept  much  in  secret. 

She  found  so  much  fault ;  showed  such  a  mean,  stingy  spirit ; 
she  grudged  Perdita  leisure,  pleasure,  everything ;  she  was 
so  spiteful  and  unjust  to  Betty,  so  partial  to  Cicely,  and  did  so 
much  general  nagging,  that  the  young  wife  had  long  ago  begun 
to  consider  her  her  enemy ;  and  in  the  daily  life  she  found  a 
good  measure  of  firmness  necessary  to  avoid  being  crushed  and 
sat  upon  ;  and  yet  once  in  a  while  there  would  crop  out  some 
vein  of  unexpected  generosity  or  kind  thoughtfulness,  which  she 
found  it  impossible  to  understand  or  reconcile. 


"  Trot  to  Market,  to  Buy  a  Loaf  of  Bread"      379 

As  the  married  pair  tripped  down  the  stairs,  the  dame  watched 
them  out  of  sight  before  she  turned  to  the  store-room  she  had 
come  to  inspect. 

"  Life  is  short  !  "  she  muttered,  with  a  sigh.  "  I  shall  soon  go  ; 
let  me  leave  this  world  in  charity  with  all ;  they  won't  miss  me. 
Under  ground  I  shall  soon  be  forgotten.  Well,  I  hope  they 
will  be  happy  ;  they're  young  and  well."  Then  she  relapsed  into 
fretting  over  the  unfinished  sheets,  and  nearly  drove  Hannah  out 
of  her  senses  about  a  candle-end  she  found  in  the  soap-grease. 


CHAPTER   LV. 
"TROT,  TROT  TO  MARKET,  TO  BUY  A  LOAF  OF  BREAD." 


OT  a  single  day  had  passed  since  Perdita 
had  conquered  Beauty  that  she  had  not 
visited  him  in  his  stall,  had  not  led  him 
out  for  a  little  taste  of  the  grass,  and 
petted  and  caressed  him  till  he  just 
worshipped  her.  He  would  thrust  his 
nose  into  her  pocket  for  sugar,  and  give 
her  a  push  if  he  found  none ;  offer  his 

foot  to  shake,  lay  his  head  on  her  shoulder,  nibble  her  long 
braids,  pilfer  her  crimson  ribbons,  and  follow  her  like  a  faithful 
dog. 

1 1 1-  was  not  equally  complacent  to  Stephen,  who  dubbed  him 
"  Divil's  Own,"  and  was  obliged  to  have  all  his  senses  alert 
while  he  groomed  him.  Although  he  would  "side  round"  for 
his  mistress  as  soon  as  he  heard  her  footstep  on  the  stable  floor, 
he  was  all  over  the  stall  if  a  stranger  offered  to  enter,  and  he 
frequently  Heated  Stephen  to  a  close  squeeze  before  he  would 


380      "  Trot  to  Market,  to  Buy  a  Loaf  of  Bread" 

allow  him  to  touch  his  head  at  the  manger.  He  had  a  passion 
for  springing  out  of  the  door  as  soon  as  his  bridle  was  taken 
off;  and  once  free,  the  whole  force  of  the  place  could  not  catch 
him,  till'Perdita  called  him  by  name.  The  instant  he  caught 
sight  of  her  he  would  trot  to  her  side,  and  let  himself  be  led 
by  the  nose,  with  his  head  down,  as  meek  as  Mary's  little  lamb. 

Poor  Beauty  often   proved  the  truth  of  the  old  sa\  in 
favorite  has  no  friends,"  for  he  sorely  tried  the  patience  of 
Stephen,  who  pinched  his  mouth  with  the  bit,  and  wrenched  his 
head,  and  otherwise  revenged  his  injuries  as  he  could. 

Perdita  had  chosen  her  times  for  riding,  when  Mr.  Slaughton 
was  from  home,  or  busy  in  his  studio.  Several  strong  reasons 
prompted  this  choice,  which  she  did  not  explain  to  herself; 
underlying  them  all  was  an  emulation  of  Sabrina  Bradshaw's 
perfections. 

While  dusting  the  books  in  the  library  one  day,  she  came 
across  a  treatise  on  the  manege,  which  she  carried  to  her  own 
room.  Then  she  carefully  studied  the  plates,  and  conned  the 
instructions,  and  she  learned  to  manage  her  horse  by  rule  as 
well  as  instinct.  She  taught  herself  and  him  to  leap  ditches, 
and  she  accustomed  herself  to  dismount  and  get  up  a^ain,  a 
dozen  times  in  succession,  and  so  infatuated  did  she  become 
with  the  pleasure,  that  she  tried  all  sorts  of  attitudes  and  paces, 
till  she  was  much  more  expert  thaji  any  riding  master's  teach 
ings  could  have  made  her. 

All  this  while  she  had  been  tacitly  looking  forward  to  a  time 
when  she  should  have  a  companion  and  critic  by  her  side. 
"Thus  will  I  sit,  so  will  I  carry  myself,"  and  so  on  ;  but  she 
always  ended  with,  "  Not  yet,  I  am  too  far  from  perfection." 

While  she  was  out  on  the  hills,  during  this  first  ride  by  the 
side  of  her  husband,  chance  gave  her  an  opportunity  to  display 
her  skill  and  courage,  which  she  had  not  calculated  on. 

At  the  bottom  of  a  long  slope  she  espied  a  lovely  clump  of 
blue  anemones,  which  tempted  her  to  dismount. 

"  Oh,  look  !  what  beauties  :  "  exclaimed  she,  and  before  her 


"  Trot  to  Market,  to  Buy  a  Loaf  of  Bread"      381 

escort  knew  it,  she  was  off,  running  towards  the  flowers  with  her 
habit  gathered  in  her  hand. 

As  soon  as  his  rider  left  him,  Beauty  went  up  to  Mr.  Slaugh- 
ton's  horse  and  bit  his  ear  by  way  of  a  challenge  to  a  play.  As 
he  got  only  an  ill-natured  squeal,  he  tossed  his  head,  kicked  up 
his  heels,  and  started  off  on  his  own  account  to  nibble  the 
bushes. 

Mr.  Slang  h  ton  watched  his  wife  apprehensively,  wondering  how 
he  should  catch  her  fiery  steed,  also  if  she  could  mount  from  his 
hand,  really  dreading  any  awkwardness  in  her  which  might  mar 
the  charm  of  her  delightful  companionship,  which  thus  far  had 
filled  him  with  wonder  and  admiration. 

Pretty  soon  she  came  up  from  the  dell  with  her  hands  full  of 
blossoms,  which  she  was  leisurely  arranging  as  she  stepped  to 
wards  hinl. 

"  Oh,  Beauty  !  where' s  Beauty  ?  Do  you  know,  Mr.  Slaugh- 
ton,  that  your  smart  horse  amuses  his  idleness  with  catching 
your  rats  ?  I  saw  him  do  it  myself.  One  day  I  went  into  his 
stall,  and  he  did  not  seem  in  the  least  glad  to  see  me,  and  I 
found  out  that  he  was  intently  watching  something,  and  in  half 
an  instant  a  big  monster  ran  through  his  manger,  and  he  seized 
him  in  his  teeth  and  shook  him,  and  when  he  dropped  him 
dead,  he  looked  at  me  as  one  would  say,  'What  do  you 
think  of  that,  ma'am  ? '  Beauty  is  very  cute ;  come  here, 
Beauty." 

"Beauty  is  enjoying  his  freedom  just  now,"  remarked  Mr. 
Slaughton  dryly;  "he  plays  the  little  game  of  'catch  who 
catch  can.' " 

"  He  will  come  to  me,  however ;"  she  tapped  her  habit  with 
her  whip  a  couple  of  times,  and  called  him  by  his  name ;  the 
colt  trotted  up  to  her,  with  a  little  toss  of  his  head,  and  a  shrill 
whinney,  and  smelled  the  flowers  in  her  hand,  trying  to  taste 
them  also. 

"  No,  no,  Beauty,  they  are  not  for  you ! "  said  she,  pushing 
away  his  nose.  "  They  are  for  my  dinner-vases.  Stand  still, 


382      "  Trot  to  Market,  to  liny  'a  Leaf  of  Rrcad" 

now,  sir,  till  I  get  on  your  back.     Don't  disturb  yourself,  I 
beg,"  she  added,  as  she  saw  her  husband  preparing  to  dismount. 

"  Oh,  you  do  not  need  me,"  thought  Sain.  "  Very  well,  let 
us  see  how  you  will  manage  to  make  that  long  jump  by  your 
self." 

She  led  her  steed  to  a  flat  rock  by  the  road-side,  and  placing 
her  loot  in  the  stirrup,  she  sprang  lightly  to  the  saddle  ;  but  as 
she  released  her  hold  of  the  slipper  and  stooped  to  place  in  it 
her  left  foot,  off  darted  Beauty  before  she  had  touched  the  reins, 
or  gotten  her  knee  over  the  horn,  and  he  ran  a  good  quarter 
of  a  mile,  with  her  sitting  sidewise  on  his  back. 

To  Mr.  Slaughton's  frightened  eyes  she  seemed  clinging  to 
his  side  by  mere  will-power ;  but  she  vaulted  to  her  place, 
wheeled  lightly  about,  and  came  trotting  down  the  slope,  hold 
ing  Beauty  well  in  hand,  and  looking  very  rosy  and  animated. 

"Is  he  not  a  frisky  wretch?"  said  she,  showing  her  pretty 
teeth  in  a  bright,  fearless  smile.  "  He  calls  that  sort  of  trick 
good  fun,  I  suppose." 

"  But  he  will  throw  you  off,  and  hurt  you,  some  day,  Perdita." 

"  He  knows  he  cannot  do  that,  unless  he  invents  a  new  way. 
I  feel  that  he  does  contrive  and  plan,  often,  and  I  am  sure  he 
laughs !  Beauty  needs  but  one  thing,  that  is  speech.  I  never 
thought  I  could  be  so  happy  as  to  ride  and  manage  such  a  dar 
ling  as  Beauty.  I  had  no  idea  ahorse  could  be  so  knowing  and 
so  nice.  I  always  thought  a  horse  was  just  a  thing  with  1» 
strength,  and  a  mouth  to  hold  his  bit ;  but  he  feels  gay,  and 
sad,  and  thoughtful,  and  has  whims  and  wishes,  and  is  wilful 
and  capricious,  just  as  Bettine  is ;  and  I  like  him  in  each  of  his 
many  moods,  just  as  I  do  her." 

"  I  am  glad  there  is  one  acquisition  which  interests  and  suits 
you  in  my  house,"  said  he  significantly. 

"  He  does  suit  me  because  I  trained  him  myself.     I  s: 
his  superior  ;  he  never  disputed  my  right  to  rule ;  he  never  had 
a  mistress  before  me  ;  1  am  the  only  woman  he  has  ever  loved  ; 
he  never  compares  me  with  any  other ;  he  accepts  my  friend- 


"  Trot  to  Market,  to  Buy  a  Loaf  of  Bread"     383 

ship  gladly,  looking  neither  backward  or  forward  in  search  of 
somebody  more  worthy  or  complete.  Oh,  yes,  Beauty  suits 
me,  and  I  suit  him." 

While  she  meant  to  give  the  gentleman  some  subjects  for 
thought  during  their  ride,  she  did  not  wish  to  have  any  particular 
conversation  which  might  mar  his  pleasure  in  it,  and  she  meant 
to  preserve  her  anemones  as  souvenirs.  She  did  not  need  to 
make  any  exertion  to  be  entertaining,  and  that  she  was  able  to 
be  so  was  no  longer  a  question. 

£i  What  say  you  to  a  little  race  ?  "  she  asked  ;  "  here's  a  good 
plain  stretch  of  road,  unless  you  are  sure  beforehand  that  you 
will  be  distanced ;  in  that  case,  I  will  not  challenge  you  to  cer 
tain  defeat ;  I'm  too  generous." 

When  they  reined  in  their  steeds,  the  horsewoman  questioned 
her  companion's  face ;  and  this  is  what  she  sought  to  learn  : 
"  Is  there  not  another  woman,  named  Perdita,  who  can  manage 
her  horse  as  well  as  Sabrina  Bradshaw?" 

•  She  was  so  much  satisfied  with  the  language  of  his  glances 
that  her  heart  stirred  with  pleasure,  and  at  the  landing-stone  in 
front  of  the  Slaughton  mansion,  she  permitted  its  owner  to  lift 
her  off  into  his  arms — a  thing  she  had  never  thought  to  let 
happen. 

For  a  full  hour  after  she  had  disappeared  from  his  sight,  Mr". 
Slaughton  sat  dreaming  of  the  pressure  of  her  light,  yielding 
figure,  the  sweet  waft  of  her  breath  he  had  got,  in  the  one 
instant  when  her  lips  were  so  near  his  own  ;  and  the  harmonious 
glory  of  her  youthful  beauty  so  filled  his  soul,  that  though  he 
smoked  in  the  studio  a  long  long  time,  face  to  face  with  his 
golden-haired  Ruth,  he  did  not  once  lift  his  eyes  to  her,  or  give 
her  a  single  thought. 


A  Romance  in  a  Calf -Pen. 
CHAPTER  LVI. 

A    ROMANCE    IN   A   CALF-PEN. 


[HE  warm  sunshine  tempted  Perdita  abroad. 
A  week  of  untimely  cold  and  northeast 
winds  had  kept  her  indoors,  and  though 
the  sheets  were  not  all  finished,  ^he  meant 
to  go  down  to  the  meadows  for  red  co 
lumbine,  which  grew  there  among  the 
rocks. 

The  sun  shone  with  fierce  beams,  but  there  was  a  chill  in  the 
air  as  if  it  blew  off  some  Iceland  snow  bank,  and  she  wrapped 
herself  in  a  soft  shawl  of  crimson  wool,  with  which  she  intended 
to  cushion  the  moss  when  she  reached  the  gorge. 

She  carried  a  book  in  her  basket,  and  a  knife  for  di^ini; 
ferns,  and  she  had  a  dim  idea  of  remaining  abroad  the  whole 
morning. 

She  had  much  to  ponder,  and  her  feelings  and  sensations 
were  becoming  so  mixed  and  unmanageable,  that  she  wanted  a 
large  place  to  reflect  in,  with  only  nature  for  witness  and 
companion. 

As  she  passed  through  the  hall  she  heard  Cicely  Vance  at  the 
piano,  and  she  frowned  to  find  that  she  was  singing  "  I  want  to 
be  an  angel,"  instead  of  practising  her  scales  ;  and  she  had  her 
hand  on  the  knob,  to  enter  and  reprove  her  for  'her  waste  of 
time,  when  the  dame  came  along  and  stopped  to  listen. 

"  Don't  she  sing  that  hymn  sweetly  ? "  asked  she,  "  the 
dear  girl  !  Well,  she  always  \v.is  a  religious  child  !  When  she 
was  only  five  years  old,  I  used  to  ask  her  who  she  loved  best ; 
and  she  always  said  'God  first,  and  grandma  next.'  " 


A  Romance  in  a  Calf -Pen.  385 

Perdita  smiled,  and  concluded  to  leave  the  "  religious  child  " 
to  fritter  out  her  lesson-hour,  since  it  pleased  the  dame  to  have 
her;  but  the  pious  mood  of  the  "dear  girl"  seemed  to  have 
become  carnal  and  worldly,  for  as  she  left  the  house  she  heard 
her  pounding  away  at  "Shoo  fly  !  don't  bodder  me,"  which  she 
screamed  at  the  top  of  her  voice. 

Bettine  accompanied  her  sister  as  far  as  the  barn-yard,  that 
she  might  count  some  broods  of  bantams,  and  admire  their 
shining  white  pens,  their  crimson  combs,  and  their  feathery 
legs,  and  she  chippered  no  end  of  talk  as  she  skipped  and  flut 
tered  about  among  them. 

"Tell  me,  dear  Perdita,  why  do  those  old  hens  over  yonder 
squeak  so  dreadfully  ?  Are  they  scolding  their  chickens  ?  " 

"Oh  no,  they  are  singing." 

"  I  wish  they  would  sing  some  tune  I  know.  Please  make 
them  sing  Jerusalem  the  Golden.  I  like  that" 

"  But  you  could  not  understand  their  words  if  they  did.  You 
see,  they  use  Italian  ;  '  Na,  haw,  daw,'  "  answered  Perdita, 
laughing.  She  always  enjoyed  Betty's  prattle,  and  she  gave 
her  a  little  squeeze,  as  she  looked  down  smilingly  upon  her. 
"  There  now,  run  in,  baby,  and  nurse  your  new  doll  which 
Uncle  Sam  bought  you,  till  I  come.  Was  it  not  good  and  kind 
of  him  to  get  you  a  baby  so  much  larger  and  finer  than  the  one 
you  lost  that  Thanksgiving  Day  ?  " 

"Yes,  indeed.  I  love  Uncle  Sam!  Don't  you  love  Uncle 
Sam,  Perdita  ?  " 

"  '  'Tis  a  point  I  long  to  know — 

Oft  it  causes  anxious  thought : 
Do  I  love  the  man  or  no  ? 
Am  I  his,  or  am  I  not  ? '  " 

She  laughed  as  she  hummed  her  parody  on  the  familiar  hymn 

she  used  to  sing  in  her  father's  family  worship,  and  she  felt  a 

little  natural  repentance  for  having  dared  so  to  trifle  with  sacred 

things.     Betty's  thoughts  meanwhile  had  wandered  to  a  new 

17 


386  A  Romance  in  a  Calf -Pen. 

theme,  having  no  connection  whatever  with  anything  around 
them,  in  the  inconsequent  and  incoherent  fashion  grown-up 
meditations  are  apt  to  take. 

"  How  much  is  a  canoe  worth,  Perdita  ?  "  asked  she. 

"  A  canoe  !  why  do  you  want  to  know  ?  " 

"  Because  Pandora  read  in  her  little  United  States  History 
that  the  folks  went  down  to  the  bank  and  took  a  canoe  which 
some  Injuns  had  put  there,  and  they  had  a  fight  and  killed  each 
other  about  it ;  and  I  wondered  how  many  dollars  they  got, 
and  if  the  bank  was  much  robbed ;  and  I  was  glad  it  was  not 
Uncle  Sam's  bank." 

"You  had  better  ask  him  about  it,  darling,"  said  Perdita, 
"and  I  will  tell  you  everything  you  want  to  know  when  I 
come  home.  Run  in,  now — there's  a  good  child." 

"Yes,  Perdita.  I  wish  I  could  tell  you  everything  ^w*  want 
to  know,"  said  Bettine,  gazing  wistfully  at  her. 

"  Nobody  can  do  that,  dear ;  I  must  find  out  for  myself," 
replied  Perdita,  blushing  with  the  clear,  penetrating  look  of  the 
child,  which  so  easily  discerned  her  trouble  and  unrest. 

The  consciousness  that  Mr.  Slaughton  had  assumed  a  large 
place  in  her  life,  was  so  often  and  so  obviously  thrust  upon 
her  notice,  that  Bettine's  suggestions  and  inquiries  were  but  a 
following  of  the  thread  she  desired  to  unravel,  and  she  felt  that 
she  must  settle  exactly  how  she  ought  to  treat  herself  and 
him. 

As  she  passed  through  the  long  orchard  she  heard  a  curious 
noise  of  bellowing  and  stamping,  mingled  with  shouts,  and  as 
she  reached  the  gap  in  the  wall  she  stopped  suddenly,  frightened 
at  what  she  saw. 

The  gateway  was  the  bar-place  for  the  field  beyond,  but  was 
wide  open  ;  all  the  rails  except  the  bottom  one  being  removed, 
and  piled  in  a  heap  close  to  the  wall. 

The  big  Ayreshire  was  coming  full  tilt,  with  his  head  down, 
his  nostrils  flaming  red,  his  blood-shot  eyes  rolling  in  rage,  and 
Mr.  Slaughton  was  trying  to  drive  him  back  with  a  thick  stick, 


A  Romance  in  a  Calf-Pen.  387 

which  he  flourished  threateningly  about,  while  he  hallooed  and 
shouted  with  all  his  might  : 

"  Whay  !  whay  there  !  what  are  you  about  ?  " 

Why  this  inquiry  should  be  so  constantly  addressed  to  cattle 
and  other  beasts  is  a  mystery.  It  is  generally  plain  enough  to 
see  what  they  are  about.  It  seemed  to  kindle  the  wrath  of  the 
Ayreshire  to  have  it  speered  at  him,  and  as  he  out-bellowed  the 
bulls  of  Bashan,  he  was  evidently  concentrating  his  energies  on 
showing  his  master  what  he  was  about,  and  that  right  speedily 
too. 

Mr.  Slaughton  had  already  reached  the  bar-place,  facing  his 
enemy,  who  was  just  ready  to  toss  and  gore  him,  when,  swift  as 
thought,  Perdita  tore  off  her  shawl,  and  fixing  her  eyes  on  the 
furious  creature,  she  seized  the  exact  instant  which  brought  him 
within  her  reach,  and  with  the  skill  and  dexterity  of  a  matador, 
she  dropped  the  blind  over  his  head,  giving  it  a  little  twist  as  it 
left  her  hands,  such  as  a  young  girl  uses  who  tosses  her  wrap  over 
her  shoulder,  and  she  wiped  from  her  wrist  the  slaver  and  foam 
she  received  from  the  bull's  lips  as  they  grazed  it,  and  she  felt 
his  breath  hot  and  sweet,  before  she  stepped  backward  out  of 
his  reach. 

It  was  entirely  unexpected.  Neither  the  man  nor  the  beast 
had  seen  her  approach,  and  it  was  the  very  nick  of  time,  too, 
for  at  that  precise  instant  Mr.  Slaughton  fell  backward,  tripping 
over  the  low  rail  so  that  his  heels  flew  up,  and  he  must  have 
been  at  the  mercy  of  his  pursuer. 

"  Make  haste  and  get  up  ! "  exclaimed  Perdita,  as  she  helped 
him  struggle  to  his  feet.  "Let's  run  for  dear  life  to  the  calf- 
pen." 

The  advice  was  too  sensible  to  be  neglected,  and  seizing  her 
hand  they  darted  past  the  bull,  who  was  bobbing  and  backing, 
and  giving  out  muffled  roars  from  under  the  shawl  ;  and  flying 
down  the  orchard,  they  had  hardly  time  to  climb  into  the  en 
closure,  when  the  Ayreshire,  having  torn  the  blinder  to  shreds 
and  freed  himself  from  all  except  the  tatters  which  twisted 


388  A  Romance  in  a  Calf-Pen. 

around  his  horns  like  ribbons  adorning  a  prize  ox  at  fair-time, 
came  careering  after  them,  streamers  flying  in  fine  style. 

It  was  a  square  yard  built  around  a  great  tree,  for  rearing 
calves,  and  it  had  so  strong  a  fence  that  the  young  cattle  were 
safe  from  the  oxen,  who  sometimes  tried  to  jump  in,  and  the 
bovine  mothers  who  struggled  to  get  at  their  offspring. 

These  soft-eyed  young  creatures  were  driven  nearly  frantic  on 
their  long,  unsteady  legs,  with  the  sudden  intrusion  upon  their  pri 
vacy,  and  crowded  each  other  into  the  smallest  corner  possible, 
and  panted  with  terror,  while  the  Ayreshire  plunged  madly  round 
and  round  their  enclosure,  stopping  now  and  then  to  survey 
the  prisoners  and  treat  them  to  a  ferocious  bellow.  He  smelt 
at  all  the  boards,  tried  them  with  his  horns,  he  dashed  his  huge 
shoulders  against  the  posts,  and  varied  the  exercises  by  rear 
ing  on  his  hind  legs,  tearing  up  the  turf  and  dirt  with  his  pawing 
hoofs  and  pelting  them  with  it,  lashing  his  sides  with  his  tail 
like  an  angry  lion. 

"  Rather  handsome,  isn't  he  ?  and  decidedly  active,"  said 
Perdita  from  her  leaning  place  against  the  tree-trunk.  "  Well 
worth  the  two  hundred  dollars  he  cost." 

"  If  I  had  a  gun,  how  quickly  I'd  shoot  him.  If  I  had  a 
club,  I'd  knock  his  brains  out !  I'd  cut  his  throat  with  a  sickle," 
said  Mr.  Slaughton,  mopping  his  face,  which  was  much  flushed 
with  his  exertions.  "  I  wonder  how  long  we  are  to  be  kept 
here  to  witness  his  infernal  manoeuvres." 

"  It  evidently  is  a  man's  first  impulse  to  kill  whatever  annoys 
him,"  remarked  Perdita  reflectively.  "I've  heard  of  bull 
fights  ;  now  I  am  quite  able  to  fancy  one.  The  calves  and  I  are 
the  audience  ;  you  are  the  heroic  matador  who  will  presently 
dare  the  creature  to  battle ;  you  come  (over  the  fence)  ;  you 
see  (the  red  rags) ;  you  conquer  (your  valuable  Ayreshire). 

"  Humph  !  7  shall  be  glad  if  he  ever  gets  enough  of  prome 
nading  around  us,  and  we  can  manage  to  slip  out ;  what  an 
outlandish  noise  he  keeps  up !  I'll  have  him  shot  to-morrow, 
impulse  or  no  impulse." 


A  Romance  in  a  Calf -Pen.  389 

"  He  will  probably  get  hungry  some  time,"  Perdita  continued, 
secretly  amused  by  his  impatience,  "  or  thirsty ;  let  us  be 
thankful  that  the  spring  is  under  the  hill,  out  of  sight.  Ah  !  if 
you  were  but  the  piper  who  played  a  tune — *  Consider,  cow, 
consider.'  " 

"  You  take  it  coolly,"  replied  Mr.  Slaughton,  half  vexed  at 
her  railing. 

"  Where  is  the  use  of  taking  it  otherwise.  I  am  only  sorry  for 
these  poor  frightened  calves  ;  but  they  will  get  used  to  us  in  time, 
I  dare  say.  If  I  could  bleat  as  well  as  Dolly,  I'd  try  a  little 
brownie  conversation ;  but  I  might  be  profane  without  knowing 
it.  Foreign  tongues  are  dangerous  unless  carefully  studied. 
If  we  ever  do  get  out,  I  wish  to  leave  a  good  character  behind 
me." 

"  I  thank  you  for  my  life,  Perdita  ;  hadn't  it  been  for  your 
admirable  presence  of  mind,  I  should  have  been  a  mangled 
thing  lying  out  there,  not  fit  to  look  at,"  said  he,  reaching  out 
his  hands  thinking  to  seize  hers,  which  he  might  have  kissed 
for  aught  I  know.  % 

She  withdrew  easily  beyond  his  reach,  with  a  low,  teazing 
laugh. 

"What,  Mr.  Slaughton  !  A  romance  in  a  calf-pen  !  pray  don't 
forget  that  the  eyes  of  these  innocent  heifers  are  upon  you." 

"No!  I  won't,"  replied  he,  frowning,  "you  take  good  care 
to  keep  me  in  mind  of  proprieties." 

"  What  could  have  put  the  wretch  in  such  a  tantrum  ?  "  said 
she,  purposely  ignoring  the  bitterness  of  his  last  speech.  "  When 
I  have  seen  ydur  costly  purchase  before,  he  has  behaved 
like  a  decorous  ruminant  at  peace  with  himself  and  all  the 
world." 

"I  can't  imagine,  unless  it  was  a  bit  of  foppery  of  mine. 
You  see,  I  was  striding  along,  thinking — well,  never  mind  what 
I  was  thinking.  I  don't  believe  it  would  interest  you  to  know, 
or  if  it  did,  you  would  accuse  me  of  impossible  nonsense — and 
feeling  warm,  I  untied  and  pulled  off  my  neck  this  red  crepe- 


390  A  Romance  in  a  Calf -Pen. 

scarf,  which  a  certain  lady  admired  one  evening  in  the  library. 
Do  you  remember  it  ?  " 

"  Perfectly,"  replied  she  ;  "  you  were  reading  '  Othello,'  and 
you  said  the  old  Moor  never  had  a  handkerchief  to  compare 
with  yours  for  beauty,  and " 

••  U'ell,  what  else?  I  like  to  know  that  you  listen  to  my 
wisdom  ;  go  on,  please." 

"You  said  you  wished  there  was  magic  in  the  woof  of  this 
one.  You  would  certainly  bestow  it  on  somebody." 

"  And  you  said,  affection  which  needs  magic  to  win  and  keep 
it,  is  not  worth  having." 

"  I  am  glad  that  you  remember  my  wisdom.  Well,  what  did 
the  bull  do  then  ?  " 

"  Do !  why,  the  first  thing  I  saw  of  him,  he  was  rampaging 
after  me,  all  bellow  and  horns." 

"  I  wish  Beauty  could  come  and  see  me  cooped  up  here.  I 
believe  he  would  use  his  heels  for  my  sake,"  said  Perdita,  try 
ing  to  keep  up  some  talk  which  would  not  lead  to  sentiment. 

"  How  you  do  love  and   trust  that  colt ! "  exclaimed  Mr.  • 
Slaughton  jealously. 

"  He  loves  and  trusts  me." 

"So  do  I,  Perdita." 

Her  heart  beat  fast,  as  she  turned  aside  in  haste  to  avoid 
his  gaze,  and  he  turned  so  proudly  that  he  said  no  more. 

If  she  had  spoken,  she  must  have  asked  a  question  which, 
though  it  had  almost  trembled  on  her  lips  several  times  of  late, 
she  dared  not  venture  to  put  into  words,  because  her  whole 
life  turned  on  the  answer  he  would  give  her.  She  knew  he 
was  too  thoroughly  honest  and  true  to  tell  her  a  falsehood,  and 
she  shrank  from  an  avowal  he  might  be  forced  to  make. 

"  Is  Sabrina  liradshaw  better  worth  loving  than  I  ?  "  She 
understood  right  well  that  she  had  opened  her  heart  to  this 
man,  and  she  must  get  a  whole  soul  in  exchange  for  hers,  or  be 
forever  miserable.  The  impulse  which  made  her  peril  her  life 
to  save  his  told  her  so.  While  she  put  away  his  protestations, 


A  Romance  in  a  Calf -Pen.  391 

speaking  lightly,  she  felt  that  she  must  further  try  and  know 
herself  and  him,  before  she  dared  risk  the  fatal  moment  which 
would  decide  her  destiny. 

Both  were  busy  with  their  thoughts,  just  half  a  minute  and 
no  more,  when  a  great  shouting  was  heard  down  the  road.  It 
was  Slowgo  and  Stephen,  who  drove  the  oxen  home  for  their 
nooning. 

Mr.  Slaughton  crimbed  the  fence,  and  making  a  hollow  bowl 
of  his  two  palms,  he  sent  out  a  shrill  whistle,  which  might  be 
heard  half  a  mile. 

"That  trick  of  my  boyhood  steads  me  well  just  now,"  said 
he.  "  Stephen  is  standing  up  in  the  cart  to  listen.  I'll  give 
him  another.  There  !  he  sees  us  !  Now  I'll  just  shake  my 
red  handkerchief.  Out  of  your  reach  this  time,  MX.  Bull." 

Slowgo  and  Stephen  left  their  team  and  ran  down  the  field, 
full  of  curiosity  to  see  what  might  be  the  matter  ;  and  with  their 
great  whips  and  Ihe  help  of  the  mastiff  Bose,  they  drove  the 
Ayreshire  away,  and  shut  him  into  his  paddock  and  locked  the 
gate  securely  behind  him.  He  was  not  at  all  subdued,  however, 
and  stood  looking  at  them,  throwing  hooffuls  of  dirt  over  his 
back,  and  bellowing. 

"  I  feel  deep  regret  that  I  have  not  been  able  to  achieve  a 
heroic  action,  by  which  to  give  you  freedom  ;  but  you  know  I 
am  a  humdrum  sort  of  a  fellow  anyhow." 

"  So  was  Gideon,  I  suppose  ;  but  the  walls  of  Jericho  fell 
when  he  blew  on  his  ram's  horn.  I  wonder  if  he  made  any 
more  racket  than  you  did  just  now  !  I  am  glad  our  interested 
attendant  is  in  durance  vile,  at  any  price.  I  could  have  en 
gaged  a  thrilling  scene  full  of  danger,  rife  with  prowess ;  but  I 
must  be  content  to  be  saved  by  a  whistle.  Sam,  my  precious, 
why  didn't  you  come  and  worry  the  bull?  " 

"  I'll  have  that  dog  killed  to-morrow  ! "  grumbled  Mr.  Slaugh 
ton  ;  "  the  idea  of  wasting  such  endearments  on  a  puppy." 


392 


Pleasant  Days. 


CHAPTER  LVII. 


PLEASANT   DAYS. 


1C  ELY  certainly  has  a  taste  for  drawing," 
remarked  Perdita  one  evening  after  the 
children  had  retired,  and  she  and  her 
husband  were  left  in  the  library.  "  Do 
you  think  you  could  muster  patience 
to  give  her  a  few  lessons  ?  " 

"  I  know  a  lady  who  certainly  has  a 
talent  for  it,"  answered  he,  "  as  witness 
these  sketches, "  producing  half  a  dozen  Mower-branches  from 
one  of  the  drawers  of  his  private  desk. . 

"  Oh,  those  awkward  scratches  ! "  she  tried  to  take  them 
from  his  hand.  "  I  wished  to  copy  the  pretty  things  I  found 
in  the  woods,  but  I  had  such  miserable  success  that  I  gave  up 
in  disgust.  Pray,  where  did  you  unearth  them  ?  Let  me  hide 
the  botches  under  the  '  forestick.1  " 

"  Oh,  no  !  '  Who  finds  haves,'  and  I  assure  you  I  consider 
them  truly  wonderful,  to  be  the  work  of  a  person  who  paints 
from  instinct,  without  instruction." 

"  Such  praise  from  such  a  source,"  answered  she  in  an  incred 
ulous  tone,  "is  immensely  flattering." 

"  I  am  so  much  in  earnest  in  my  encomium,  that  I  will  bother 
myself  with  Cicely  Vance,  on  one  condition  :  You  shall  prom 
ise  me  to  come  also  and  get  lessons.  I  will  not  give  them  on 
any  other  condition." 

"  How  can  I  hesitate  ? "  she  replied,  with  a  surprised  face. 
"I  have  no  confidence  whatever  in  my  success;  but  if  you 
desire  to  see  me  make  a  failure,  you  shall  have  the  opportunity. 
I  never  shun  any  gate  of  knowledge  which  opens  to  inc." 


Pleasant  Days.  393 

"  When  will  you  commence  ?  "  demanded  he,  eagerly.  "  I 
would  have  asked  you  when  I  first  found  your  sketches,  if  I  had 
not  been  a  coward.  I  dreaded  a  refusal ;  I  will  be  the  most 
faithful  master  you  ever  had." 

"It  seems  we  are  rather  losing  sight  of  the  first  party  to  the 
compact,"  said  Perdita,  coolly.  "  Cicely  Vance,  who  has  so 
many  sorts  of  talent  that  one  would  scarcely  know  in  what 
direction  to  push  her,  if  she  did  not  stubbornly  refuse  to  develop 
in  any ;  her  touch  on  the  piano  is  admirable,  her  ear  accurate ; 
there  is  no  limit  to  the  excellence  she  might  attain.  But  do 
you  know,  she  just  drums  out  her  hour  of  practice  in  unmean 
ing  noises,  unless  I  watch  her  ?  Her  object  in  life  seems  to  be 
to  learn  just  as  little  as  possible.  Now,  if  she  will  only  take 
to  drawing.  I  think  I'll  tell  her  she  may  make  a  gift  to  Randy 
Teazle  of  the  first  good  picture  she  finishes." 

"  Confound  Cicely  Vance  !  or  at  least,  I  meant  to  say,  shall 
I  expect  you  to-morrow  morning  ?  " 

"  Certainly  !  then  as  well  as  any  other  time  ;  but  I  wish  to 
consult  you  about  Cicely.  You  know  her  partiality  for  Randy 
Teazle.  I  have  been  thinking  it  might  be  good  for  her  if  I  had 
him  come  up  and  study  with  the  children." 

"  I  don't  see  why,  or  how ;  and  I  am  sure  you  have  cares  and 
labors  enough  already." 

"  Hut  if  Cicely  has  a  true  affection  for  this  boy,  it  may  give 
her  a  soul.  I  should  like  to  try  the  experiment  of  daily  asso 
ciation  under  sanction." 

"Are  you  in  earnest,  Perdita?  Why  should  you  trouble 
further  about  that  dreadful  child,  who  has  been  such  a  trial  and 
annoyance  to  you  ?  " 

"  Because  I  feel  as  if  I  must  have  made  a  mistake  somewhere, 
or  she  would  improve  under  my  influence,"  replied  Perdita, 
earnestly. 

"  And  if  love  gives  souls  to  animals,  what  does  it  give  to  men 
to  make  it  worth  having  ?  " 

"  Goodness  and  strength." 
17* 


394  Pleasant  Days. 

The  next  morning  the  artist  hardly  waited  for  breakfast  to  be 
over  before  he  reminded  his  young  wife  of  her  promise. 

"  Come  up  higher,  friend,"  said  he,  leading  the  way  to  the 
stairs. 

••  U'hy  not  in  the  library  ?"  asked  Perdita,  drawing  back  and 
growing  pale  ;  it  had  not  occurred  to  her  that  she  would  be 
called  on  to  face  the  golden-haired  Ruth  in  the  studio. 

"  You  surely  don't  mind  the  steps,  such  a  light-footed  climber 
as  you  are." 

"  No,  not  in  the  least ;  of  course  I  don't,"  answered  she 
hurriedly,  as  he  stood  looking  back  in'  astonishment  at  her 
troubled  face,  her  crimson  cheeks,  and  agitated  demeanor. 
"  Come  on,  Cicely." 

As  she  entered  the  door  she  glanced  quickly  in  the  direction 
of  the  Sabrina — the  enforced  companion  of  her  dreams  and 
musings,  whose  original  was  the  emulation  of  her  life.  It  was 
covered  under  a  white  drapery,  which  hid  also  the  girl  bearing  a 
pitcher  in  her  hands. 

She  dropped  into  the  seat  which  the  artist  placed  for  her, 
and  took  with  trembling  fingers  the  pencil  he  offered,  hardly 
daring  to  draw  the  conclusion  which  presented  itself  to  her 
mind.  Could  she  venture  to  hope  that  the  love  he  had 
declared  immortal  was  veiled  and  obscured  in  his  heart  as  he 
had  hidden  the  pictures  which  he  so  lately  pronounced  the  best 
works  of  his  life?  She  was  full  of  these  thoughts,  while  Mr. 
Slaughton  placed  her  bristol-board  and  explained  the  first  prin 
ciples  of  his  art.  He  wanted  her  to  excel,  and  he  was  serious 
and  earnest  in  his  instructions,  as  if  she  had  been  a  paying 
pupil,  as  indeed  he  hoped  to  make  her  in  many  wa 

Cicely  Vance,  who  was  always  restless,  and  whose  lawK-vs 
hands  were  busy  with  everything,  pulled  down  a  cloth  which 
was  thrown  over  an  easel,  in  a  far  corner. 

••  U'hy,  Aunt  Perdita  !  here's  you  !  just  as  natural  as  can 
be,"  she  exclaimed  ;  "  and  Betty,  too.  Oh!  how  pretty  you 
would  be  if  vou  didn't  look  so  mad." 


Pleasant  Days.  395 

Perdita  turned  her  head  at  this  announcement,  and  beheld 
the  picture  of  a  most  beautiful  girl,  holding  a  child  in  her  arms, 
about  whom  her  long  raven  hair  fell  in  heavy  masses  ;  while 
her  proudly-poised  head,  flashing  eyes,  and  parted  unsmiling 
lips,  all  spoke  passion.  It  was  a  richly  colored  picture,  full  of 
spirit  and  fire. 

After  a  moment's  silent  survey,  she  turned  to  the  artist,  who 
stood  as  blushing  and  abashed  as  a  school-boy  detected  in  using 
a  pony.  "  I  desired  to  test  my  memory,"  stammered  he. 

"  I  hope  you  are  satisfied  with  your  success  ;  if  you  have  not 
given  your  work  a  name,  I  advise  you  to  call  it  Tisiphone,  the 
third  Fury." 

As  she  returned  quietly  to  her  task,  he  puzzled  much  to  di 
vine  whether  or  no  she  was  displeased  with  his  secret  endeavor, 
and  its  patent  excellence. 

When  her  lesson  was  ended,  he  begged  hei  candid  opinion  of 
some  works  which  he  designed  for  the  Toptown  exhibition. 

"  I  hope  you  will  approve,"  said  he,  "  because  I  consider 
them  the  very  best  things  I  have  ever  done." 

She  could  not  refuse,  and  she  steadied  herself  for  a  sight  of 
what  she  dreaded,  especially  in  his  company.  While  she  was 
rebelling  against  his  cruelty  in  forcing  her  to  look  at  her  rival, 
and  trying  to  think  of  some  phrase  for  letting  him  know  that 
she  had  already  seen  his  master-pieces,  he  brought  out  a  couple 
of  landscapes,  just  finished,  and  was  at  infinite  trouble  to  give 
them  a  good  light. 

The  old  mill,  with  the  wild  water  leaping  over  the  dam,  and 
in  the  foreground  on  the  bank  a  dog  crouching  at  the  feet  of  a 
slender  girl,  who  held  his  head  in  her  arms. 

The  other  was  a  study  of  autumn  coloring  of  wondrous  blend 
ing,  where  the  sky  was  all  beauty,  and  the  world  was  all  bliss. 
But  Perdita  found  not  in  it  the  particular  charm  which  riveted  her 
attention  to  the  well-remembered  scene  where  her  husband  had 
been  both  positive  and  kind.  It  seemed  so  long  ago,  and  the 
events  and  feelings  of  that  day  came  vividly  back  to  her  and 


396  r 

engrossed  and  centered  her  thoughts  so  that  she  forgot  where 
she  was,  and  seemed  again  to  hear  the  dash  of  the  fall,  and  the 
piteous  whine  of  the  dog  begging  for  his  life  ;  and  she  roused 
with  a  start  when  Cicely's  sharp  voice  smote  her  ear,  and 
looked  up  to  find  the  artist  studying  her  face. 

"It's  my  turn  now,  aunty.  Uncle  Sam  is  all  ready;  won't 
you  come  and  see  me  make  my  picture  ?  " 

"Certainly,"  answered  Perdita  in  a  flurried  way;  "and  if 
you  do  your  best,  you  may  give  the  flowers  to  Randy  Teazle 
for  his  birthday." 

"  Now,  aunty  !  how  queer  !  "  exclaimed  Cicely  blushing  and 
twisting  into  a  dozen  shapes.  "  What  makes  you  think  of  such 
a  thing?  I  don't  want  to  give  Randy  a  present.  He  i>n't 
much  ;  his  folks  are  dreadful  poor." 

"  I  am  sure  you  take  trouble  enough  to  make  us  all  think 
you  are  fond  of  him  ;  and  I  believe  I  shall  have  him  come  up 
to  our  school-room  and  study.  How  would  you  enjoy  that  ?  " 

"  I  dunno  ! "  Cicely,  like  the  man  who  hesitated  to  get 
married  because  he  would  no  longer  have  a  place  to  spend  his 
evenings,  was  secretly  thinking  that  if  Randy  was  made  at 
home  up  at  the  house,  she  shouldn't  have  any  boy  to  plan 
secret  meetings  with.  She  was  quite  exhilarated  by  the  idea  of 
presenting  the  lad  with  her  group  of  blossoms,  however,  and 
worked  away  rather  faithfully.  It  really  seemed  as  if  she  was 
about  to  develop  studiousness  and  perseverance. 

Mr.  Slaughton  put  away  his  best  works,  xvithout  again  asking 
her  opinion  of  them  ;  but  he  looked  well  pleased,  and  was  very 
chatty  and  good-humored.  Cicely's  presence  made  Perdita  feel 
so  easy  that  she  was  able  to  give  enthusiastic  attention  to  his 
teachings ;  she  wished  to  excel.  "  I  know  Sabrina  Hradshaw  can 
paint,"  she  said  to  herself,  "  and  I  think  I  can.  I'll  find  out." 

These  lessons  in  the  studio  were  the  pleasantest  days  Perdita 
Hethwaite  had  ever  found  in  her  short  life,  and  all  through 
the  dark  times  that  followed  she  let  her  mind  rest  on  them,  in 
wonder  at  their  sweetness  and  their  bitter  fruit. 


The  Parson  Demands  His  Fine  Coat.  397 


CHAPTER  LVIII. 

THE    PARSON    DEMANDS    HIS   FINE    COAT. 

HATE  to  go   to   Toptovvn,"    said    Mr. 
Slaughton  one   morning   in  July,  as  he 
stood  at  the  door,  waiting  for  the  shore 
wagon    to    come   around.       "  I  hate  to 
interrupt  our  studies.     I  go  with  anxiety 
too,  for  our  future  ;  how  can  I  tell  but 
I  shall  find  you  distant  and  frigid,  pro 
voking  and  caustic  again,  on  my  return." 
"A  week  cannot  effect  any  marked  change  in  our  relations," 
replied  Perdita  smiling.     "  I  have  not  so  many  friends  that  I 
can  afford  to  throw  away  one  with  whom  I  have  progressed  so 
far  on  the  good  road  to  friendship." 

"  Promise  me  one  thing,"  said  he  anxiously — so  very  anx 
iously  that  she  looked  with  apprehension  in  his  face,  while  the 
quick  blood  dyed  her  cheeks  with  sudden  red. 
"  Anything  in  reason." 

"  Be  sure  and  come   to   the  station  for  me  when  I  return. 
Let  me  see  your  face,  first  of  any,  when  I  step  out  of  the  car." 
"  Willingly,"  said  she  with  joyful  readiness.     "What  if  I  were 
to  ride  Beauty  down  ?  " 

"  No  !  I  want  you  to  drive  the  pair.  I  know  you  can  do  it ; 
they  are  perfectly  gentle.  I  have  a  fancy  for  you  alone  in  the 
new  phaeton  ;  you  do  not  feel  afraid  ?  " 

"  No,  I  think  not.  I  will  come,  since  you  ask  me  to  do  it, 
at  any  rate." 

"  Would  you  risk  your  life  for  a  whim  of  mine,  Perdita  ?  No, 
I  am  not  selfish  enough  to  permit  it.  Stephen  had  better  drive 


398  The  Parson  Demands  His  Fine  Coat. 

down  ;  he  can  walk  up  the  hill.  I  want  to  make  sure  of  the 
tdte-a-t£te  with  you.  I  shall  have  so  much  to  say." 

"  I  have  also  something  to  say,"  she  thought,  "  when  1  have 
heard  what  you  mean  to  tell  me." 

Life  looked  so  bright  that  day,  that  she  sang  for  very  joy. 
She  was  restless,  too.  She  walked  in  the  garden,  after  school, 
and  copied  some  flowers  into  her  album  ;  she  sewed,  and 
played  the  flute,  trying  to  fill  all  her  hours.  That  was  the  first 
day  of  absence.  The  second,  she  had  marked  out  a  task  which 
required  all  her  powers  to  accomplish. 

Early  in  the  morning  she  mounted  Beauty,  and  rode  to  the 
village.  There  was  an  important  piece  of  shopping  to  do  ;  she 
meant  to  purchase  a  dress — a  purple  muslin.  The  assortment 
at  the  Birch  store  was  small,  and  her  choice  was  soon  made. 
A  clear  white  ground  with  a  small  leaf  in  it,  which  the  clerk 
assured  her  was  "  a  real  spry  figger."  It  was  a  robe  with 
flouncing  and  borders.  Perdita  aspired  to  a  train — the  first  of 
her  life. 

A  whole  week  was  consumed  in  steady  stitching,  and  Friday 
found  her  labor  completed.  There  it  lay  on  her  bed,  pretty, 
graceful,  flowing.  She  tried  it  on,  and  scarcely  knew  herself  in 
it.  The  woman  her  mirror  showed  her  was  so  stylish  and  ele 
gant,  that  she  felt  half  afraid  of  her,  and  she  hastened  to  get 
back  into  her  simple  brown  gown,  and  take  a  good  frolic  with 
Betty  and  Sam,  and  make  sure  of  her  identity.  She  laid  away 
the  fine  dress  with  satisfaction,  however,  and  she  anticipated  a 
pleasant  triumph  when  next  she  put  it  on.  Sunday  should  be 
the  day  ;  on  Sunday  she  would  wear  it  to  dinner. 

The  drive  from  the  station  was  to  precede  that  important 
event,  and  she  should  be — happy.  Yes,  so  happy,  that  it  would 
be  proper  to  be  splendid. 

While  she  was  impatiently  watching  the  clock,  eager  for  the 
moment  when  she  might  set  off,  Malcolm  came  up  to  the  man 
sion  house  with  a  telegram. 

"Business  keeps  me  another  week  ;  will  write  by  next  post." 


The  Parson  Demands  His  Fine  Coat.  399 

It  was  a  bitter  disappointment !  seven  more  days.  She  re 
tired  to  her  chamber,  that  none  might  see  her  weep.  Little 
Bettine,  much  troubled,  came  softly  and  clasped  her  neck  with 
her  arrns,  and  laid  her  cheek  close  to  the  rich  velvet  one  she 
loved  to  caress. 

"  What  is  the  matter,  Perdita  ?  why  do  you  cry  ?  " 

<l  Because  I  am  an  idiot ;  that  is  all." 

She  dried  her  eyes,  and  forced  herself  to  sport  with  the  chil 
dren  till  bed-time.  But  though  she  struggled  against  her  de 
pression,  she  could  not  conquer  it ;  and  when,  long  after  mid 
night,  she  slept,  it  was  no  refreshing  slumber,  but  only  hideous 
dreams. 

While  they  sat  at  breakfast  the  next  morning,  Parson  Heth- 
waite  came  up  to  the  mansion  house,  a  thing  quite  out  of  the 
common,  for  he  rarely  volunteered  to  show  his  lean  poverty  at 
this  home  of  ease  and  plenty. 

He  brought  a  letter,  which  was  his  errand,  and  he  opened  it 
with  some  fuss  and  flurry,  and  presented  it  to  his  daughter  to 
read  as  soon  as  they  were  alone  in  the  library. 

"  Mrs.  Slaughton,  I  have  thought  best  to  confide  in  you  a  pro 
posal  which  has  been  made  to  me  by  my  old  friend  Champlin, 
regarding  my  son  Malcolm.  Champlin  was  my  chum  in  col 
lege,  and  though  our  paths  diverged  early,  his  leading  to  pros 
perity  and  affluence,  it  seems  he  has  not  forgotten  me.  He 
offers  my  lad  a  clerkship.  He  says  I  was  such  a  good  young 
fellow,  he  feels  sure  I  should  have  good  sons.  Hence  we  view 
that  the  promises  are  for  the  elect  and  their  seed  after  them,  as 
says  the  Psalmist :  '  I  have  been  young,  and  now  I  am  old  ;  yet 
I  have  never  seen  the  children  of  the  righteous  forsaken,  nor 
their  seed  begging  bread  :  for  all  things  are  ours.'  " 

"  It  seems  a  plain,  straightforward  letter,"  remarked  Perdita, 
who  had  been  perusing  the  epistle  while  her  father  expounded  ; 
"  which  means  a  good  opening  for  Malcolm." 

"Very  sensibly  put,  Mrs.  Slaughton.  I  believe  Champlin 
has  a  great  establishment  in  Toptown,  and  he  seems  to  me  to 


4OO  The  Parson  Demands  His  Fine  Coat. 

hint  at  something  more  than  a  mere  clerkship.  You  observe 
he  mentions  advancement.  He  has  no  family,  has  Champlin, 
preferring  to  live  like  St.  Paul,  therein  proving  his  wisdom " 

"The  Catholic  priesthood  are  wise,  then,  in  shirking  all  the 
duties  and  responsibilities  which  God  himself  placed  upon  man  ; 
for  this  cause  has  he  set  them  in  families " 

"  As  I  was  about  to  observe,"  interrupted  the  Parson  in  a 
severe  tone,  "  the  lad  Malcolm  is  careless  and  heedless,  and 
much  given  to  frolic  and  noise.  I  trust  years  may  sober  him  ; 
therefore " 

"  You  will  lose  no  time  in  placing  my  brother,"  put  in  Per- 
dita,  absorbed  in  her  own  deductions,  and  feeling  every  moment 
a  lost  opportunity  till  he  was  gone  at  once. 

"  Do  not  rashly  jump  at  conclusions,  Mrs.  Slaughton  ;  there; 
are  ifs  in  the  way.  You  observe  Champlin  expressly  says  he 
will  take  no  steps  without  a  personal  interview  with  the  boy." 

"  It  is  not  too  late  to  set  off  to-day,  father." 

"  It  is  entirely  too  late  for  me  to  place  myself  in  any  such  a 
position.  I  am  in  no  mood  to  face  successful  people.  /,  who 
have  been  so  pushed  off,  so  foiled,  so  hindered  and  cast  out  ! 
I  will  not  thrust  myself  where  the  contrast  will  be  so  mark<  d 
that  he  who  runs  might  read  what  a  failure  my  life  has  been. 
We  started  fair — Champlin  and  I.  He  won  !  I  lost !  " 

"  But  you  still  own  all  things,  father.  The  things  which  are 
withheld  are  doubly  yours.  You  observe  I  retain  your  profita 
ble  instructions.  I  really  cannot  believe  you  will  let  this  chance 
slip,  when  a  slight  exertion  on  your  part  will  secure " 

"  If  it  depends  on  my  visiting  Toptown,  be  assured  that  I 
shall,"  answered  he  doggedly.  "  Where  is  my  fine  broadcloth 
coat  ?  Where  are  my  gloves  ?  Where  is  my  glossy  hat  ?  Do 
/  look  like  walking  into  a  wholesale  store  owned  by  Dick  Cham 
plin,  whose  Latin  I  used  to  construe  for  him  ?  Why,  I  should 
be  flouted  and  scorned  by  the  very  porters." 

"  But,  father " 

"  I  will  not  be  urged  !     If  you  care  enough  for  the  worldly 


"Love  Sailed  a  Match  with  Time." 


401 


advancement  of  the  lad  to  go  with  him,  well  and  good.  If 
you  don't,  then  the  matter  drops." 

"  Oh,  that  is  your  object  in  confiding  in  me  !  You  wish  to 
push  an  inexperienced  girl  into  a  situation  you  shrink  from 
yourself ! " 

"  You  are  a  rich  man's  wife,  Perdita.  You  meet  the  wealthy 
gentleman  on  an  equal  footing  ;  you  can  afford  it." 

"  I  will  go,  father.  My  brother  shall  never  lose  such  a  good 
prospect  by  any  cowardice  of  mine.  Mr.  Slaughton  is  in  Top- 
town,  and  will  render  n>e  all  the  service  I  need,  and  I  believe 
he  will  approve  my  action,  bold  and  presuming  as  it  looks  to 
me,  I  hope,  as  soon  as  I  can  explain  it.  Have  Malcolm  ready 
for  the  noon  train.  Fortunately,  there  are  five  on  the  road, 
and  I  can  get  back  by  midnight  if — in  case " 

She  was  thinking  about  her  husband  ;  but  she  did  not  finish 
her  sentence  aloud,  and  the  old  man  left  her,  feeling  that  his 
"  daughter,  Mrs.  Slaughton,  was  a  smart  woman,  apt  for  busi 
ness,  able  to  grasp  a  situation,  and  act  promptly  in  the  premises." 


CHAPTER  LIX. 

LOVE    SAILED    A    MATCH    WITH    TIME." 

I  HERE  had  been  a  heavy  shower  the  night 
before,  and  every  leaf  and  grass-blade 
was  washed  fresh  and  green,  and  the  air, 
freed  from  dust,  was  delightfully  clear  and 
cool. 

With  a  suitable  escort,  her  first  journey 
would  have  afforded  pleasure  to  this  in 
experienced  traveller  ;  but  a  certain  tre 
mor  of  anxiety  as  to  her  capacity  to  get  successfully  through 


4O2  "Love  Sailed  a  Match  with  Time." 

the  untried  necessities  before  her  agitated  her  so  much  that 
she  could  scarcely  lend  an  ear  to  her  brother's  ecstatic  interest 
in  all  he  saw.  Karlierin  her  married  life  Mr.  Slaughton's  opin 
ion  of  the  proceeding  would  have  weighed  lightly  with  her ;  but 
now  all  her  motives  of  action  were  changed.  She  had  found  a 
master  whom  she  desired  to  please.  Amidst  her  worries  as  to 
how  she  should  find  a  hotel,  what  she  should  say  to  Mr.  Cham- 
plin,  and  so  on,  came  a  dread  of  her  husband's  disapproval. 
Ought  she  not  to  have  waited  his  return  and  placed  the  aftair 
in  his  hands  ? 

Then  came  a  new  set  of  feelings  to  the  surface.  She  was 
about  to  meet  the  man  whose  name  she  bore,  among  strangers. 
How  would  she  compare  with  others  ?  What  would  be  his 
judgment  when  he  found  her  in  this  untried  position  ? 

It  was  evening  when  they  arrived.  Perdita  veiled  carefully  her 
trepidation  from  Malcolm,  as  she  tripped  up  the  hotel  steps, 
and  really,  she  seemed  entirely  composed  and  steady,  though 
she  did  give  a  little  nervous  laugh  as  she  caught  her  foot  in  the 
stair-rod,  and  came  near  tumbling  upon  her  nose. 

"  I  hope  there  is  no  truth  in  signs,  Mat,"  said  she  ;  "  if  there 
is,  I  shall  see  trouble  before  I  go  down  these  steps.  Won't 
it  be  a  pity  if  Mr.  Champlin  is  out  of  town  ! " 

"  It  will  be  too  blabed  bad,"  replied  Malcolm  (as  the  lad 
had  a  cold  in  his  head,  his  utterance  was  rather  thick). 

A  smart  chambermaid  was  the  first  person  they  met 

"  I  want  a  room,"  said  Perdita,  stopping  her. 

"  A  room,  mum  !  and  why  don't  you  ring  the  bell  and  call 
the  clerk  then  ?  There's  the  parlor  straight  before  you." 

Hasting  to  obey  this  curt  advice,  the  traveller  stepped  to  the 
door  and  looked  about  her,  expecting  to  see  a  bell  on  the  table 
or  mantle,  but  none  was  to  be  found. 

"  Where  do  you  suppose  they  keep  their  bell,  Mat  ?  "  asked 
she  after  a  puzzled  survey. 

"And  is  it  the  bell  that  ye's  after  wanting?  "  asked  a  grin 
ning  boy  who  was  watching  the  pair ;  "  sure  it's  there  upon  the 


-"Love  Sailed  a  Match  with  Time"  403 

wall.  Pull  that  green  tossel  and  'twill  ring  for  ye  ;  but  I'm  the 
boy  that'll  come  anyhow,  so  ye  may  as  well  be  after  tellin'  me 
what  yer  wanting,  till  I  fetch  it  ?  " 

"  Oh  !  and  is  it  the  clerk  ! "  said  he,  eyeing  the  young  people 
over  his  shoulder  as  he  disappeared. 

Presently,  a  prematurely  bald  man,  with  a  pen  behind  each 
ear  and  his  forehead  full  of  scowls,  presented  himself  at  the 
door.  He  scanned  them  hurriedly,  and  it  seemed  that  their 
plain  dress  and  unassuming  appearance  found  little  favor  in  his 
eyes. 

"  What  do  you  wish  ?  " 

"  Can  I  have  a  room  ?  "  asked  Perdita  in  a  faint  voice. 

"A  room,  miss  ?  I  don't  know  if  we  have  one  vacant.  Any 
luggage  ? " 

"  No.     I  am  only  up  on  business  for  a  day." 

"  I  don't  think  I  can  give  you  a  room,  miss,  we're  quite  full ; 
I've  turned  away  sixteen  this  morning." 

"  Is  not  Mr.  Slaughton  stopping  here  ?  " 

"  Mr.  Slaughton,  miss  ?  Did  you  wish  to  see  Mr.  Slaughton, 
miss?" 

"  Yes."  She  began  to  see  her  way  so  hedged  in,  and  so  full 
of  lions,  that  she  hesitated  and  faltered,  before  she  pronounced 
the  word. 

"  ^i  you  wish  to  see  Mr.  Slaughton.  Very  well,  I'll  inquire 
whether  there's  such  a  gentleman  stopping  here." 

The  look  he  threw  at  her  said,  "  I'll  find  out  whether  Mr. 
Slaughton  wishes  to  see  you" 

Soon  he  came  back.  "The  gentleman  is  out;  don't  know 
when  he  will  return." 

"  Very  well ;  you  may  show  me  a  place  to  wash,  and 
I  will  get  ready  for  supper.  I  dare  say  he  will  be  back  for 
that." 

"  Does  the  gentleman  expect  you,  miss  ?  " 

" I  am  Mrs.  Slaughton.  I  am  not  miss"  replied  Perdita, 
blushing  violently  under  the  fellow's  gaze. 


404  "Love  Sailed  a  Match  with  Time" 

"  Oh,  Mrs.  Slaughton !  very  well ;  here  Pat,  take  this  lady 
to  Mr.  Slaughton' s  room,  No.  40." 

"  But  I  desire  a  room  to  myself,  and  one  for  this  lad,  who  is 
my  brother." 

1'crdita's  confusion  and  blushes  caused  the  clerk  to  look  at  her 
still  more  suspiciously.  "  I'll  call  the  head"  said  he  retreating. 

The  "  head  "  appeared  in  half  a  minute. 

"  Is  not  this  a  hotel  ?"  demanded  Perdita. 

"  Yes,  ma'am,  the  Toptown  House,"  replied  he,  smiling. 

"  Well,  sir  !  being  a  hotel,  I  suppose  your  business  is  to 
accommodate  travellers;  therefore  you  will  please  give  me  two 
rooms  ;  one  for  my  brother,  this  boy,  and  one  fur  myself.  And 
as  I  have  been  asked  impertinent  questions  about  my  luggage, 
which  I  suppose  implies  doubt  of  my  honesty,  or  ability  to  pay, 
I  shall  settle  my  bill  now  !  how  much  will  it  be  till  to-morrow 
morning  ?  " 

She  took  out  a  roll  of  money  from  her  purse,  and  looked  with 
haughty  anger  in  his  face,  waiting  for  his  answer. 

"  No  offence,  miss,  I  hope ;  but,  you  se£,  we  have  so  many 
adventurers." 

"Do  I  look  like  an  adventurer?" 

"  No,  miss !  certainly  not,"  answered  the  head  clerk,  depre 
cating  her  proud  wrath  ;  "come  with  me,  and  I'll  make  you  as 
comfortable  as  possible.  I  suppose  you  want  adjoining  rooms, 
you  and  the  boy  ?  " 

"  Of  course  ! " 

"  Here  we  are,  ma'am.  Please  to  ring  your  bell  for  anything 
you  wish  ;  tea  at  seven." 

Perdita  was  dreadfully  disturbed  by  her  first  attempt  t->  push 
her  own  way;  but  she  tried  to  forget  all  annoyances,  and  hur 
riedly  making  herself  tidy,  she  rejoined  Malcolm,  who  was  in 
dustriously  kicking  his  heels  in  the  hall,  and  whistling  to  a 
mocking-bird  which  hung  in  a  cage  at  the  far  end. 

"  There's  forty  ! "  said  he,  as  they  walked  down  the  long  pas 
sage  ;  "  that's  his  room." 


"Love  Sailed  a  Match  ivith  Time"  405 

Perdita  knocked  boldly  at  the  door,  and  her  heart  answered 
each  appeal  with  a  quick  throb.  No  answer.  "  We  shall  find 
Mr.  Slaughton  in  the  parlor,  1  dare  say,  or  at  supper,"  said  she, 
as  they  passed  on. 

"  Let's  stop  just  one  minute  in  this  beautiful  place,"  begged 
Malcolm  ;  "  tea  isn't  ready  yet — a  boy  told  me  so.  I  never  saw 
such  handsome  things  !  " 

He  was  gazing  rapturously  around  the  rotunda,  which  filled 
his  imagination  with  pictures.  It  seemed  to  him  like  some  old 
Moorish  palace,  or  the  fabled  wonders  of  one  of  his  surrepti 
tiously  read  story-books. 

The  wide  gallery  which  ran  around  three  sides  of  the  great 
square  was  supported  by  Corinthian  pillars  reaching  from  the 
floor  below  to  the  vaulted  roof;  and  as  he  leaned  over  the  rail 
ing,  he  could  look  down  into  the  vast  office,  occupying  the  wide 
central  space,  as  well  as  that  beneath  the  corridor;  while  front 
ing  him  was  a  conservatory  filled  with  blooming  plants  ;  the 
walls  behind  and  around  him  were  hung  with  pictures,  and  open 
doors  led  in  all  directions  to  parlors  and  reading-rooms.  The 
sofas  and  arm-chairs  which  were  conveniently  placed  here  and 
there  were  filled  with  chatting  groups,  who  were  looking  down 
at  the  moving  panorama  below. 

At  the  far  end,  in  a  corner  near  the  conservatory,  were  a 
company  of  gayly  dressed  children  sporting  and  enjoying  them 
selves. 

Before  the  lad  had  half  finished  his  study  of  the  paintings, 
the  flowers,  and  the  people,  a  band  of  harpers  began  to  play 
in  the  office,  and  he  left  all  to  lean  over  the  rail  and  listen  ;  and 
soon  the  children,  taking  partners,  waltzed  easily  about  like 
butterflies.  It  seemed  to  the  country  boy  that  they  might  be 
fairies  or  angels,  they  were  so  light  and  graceful. 

A  stout,  gray-haired  man  sat  beside  a  little  carriage,  in  which 
lay  a  pale  girl,  a  cripple,  with  a  lovely  face,  to  whom  he  was 
talking  in  soft,  loving  tones  ;  and  a  couple  of  ladies  not  far  off 
on  a  sofa  discussed  them. 


406  "Love  Sailed  a  Match  with  Time." 

The  mother  of  the  cripple  was  dead.  Somehow,  this  child 
had  gotten  a  fall,  which  so  injured  her  spine  that  she  could  not 
stand  ;  and  she  passed  all  her  days  lying  in  her  carriage,  drawn 
hither  and  thither  by  a  stout  attendant. 

While  the  ladies  talked,  and  Malcolm  eagerly  swallowed 
their  words,  filling  in  the  outlines  which  his  fancy  sketched, 
a  beautiful  little  boy  came  with  his  nurse,  and  stood  by  his 
father,  timidly  waiting  for  a  welcome. 

"  There !  look,  Electra  !  "  said  one  of  the  dames  ;  "  all 
that  man's  love  is  for  the  girl  ;  he  has  not  a  word  or  smile  for  his 
only  son,  and  he  is  as  handsome  as  a  cherub,  too." 

Such  pity  filled  Malcolm's  heart,  that  it  nearly  welled  over  at 
his  eyes,  and  the  music,  which  had  sounded  so  joyous,  changed 
to  a  minor  motirnfulness,  which  was  like  a  continuation  to  the 
sad  story. 

Perdita  had  followed  her  brother,  looking  eagerly  among  the 
comers  and  goers  for  the  man  she  wished  but  almost  dreaded 
to  see ;  and  she,  as  well  as  Malcolm,  had  heard  the  talk  about 
the  motherless  children,  and  when  she  sighed  softly,  he  turned 
and  laid  a  hand  on  her  arm. 

"  Here  is  a  father  who  can  love,  and  who  leaves  one  of  his 
children  out  in  the  cold,  to  dote  on  the  other.  I  think  it  is 
better  to  be  as  we  are — none  of  us  cared  for,  don't  you, 
Perdita." 

Almost  before  he  had  finished  his  question  his  attention  was 
fastened  on  a  small  Bohemian  in  the  court  below,  who  began 
to  dance  with  a  tambourine  ;  and  Perdita  lost  consciousness  of 
everything  around  her,  because  her  ears  caught  the  tones  of  a 
familiar  voice,  and  her  eyes  saw  a  sight  which  she  never  in  her 
whole  life  forgot. 

A  couple  sat  a  little  way  in  front  of  her,  whom  she  could 
plainly  see,  but  who  could  not  look  at  her,  unless  she  leaned 
forward  from  behind  the  great  pillar  which  concealed  her. 

The  lady  was  tall  and  superbly  handsome,  and  had  rich 
masses  of  dark  red  hair  twined  about  her  head.  The  gentleman 


"Love  Sailed  a  Match  with  Time'1  407 

was  Samuel  Slaughton,  whose  back  was  turned  towards  Ferdita, 
but  so  close  that  she  might  have  touched  him  with  her  hand. 

They  were  talking  earnestly,  and  in  louder  tones  than  they 
would  have  used  in  a  silent  room,  because  of  the  noise  of  the 
children,  and  of  the  music  below  them. 

A  sudden  lull  in  the  waltz  left  their  words  distinctly  audible 
to  Perdita's  quickened  sense,  which  was  painfully  alert,  without 
being  conscious  of  any  effort  to  overhear  them. 

"  More  than  handsome,  Sabrina  ;  enthralling,  entrancing,  I 
find  my  every  sense  satisfied.  I  feel  bewitched,  led  in  chains  ; 
to  live  is  to  love,  to  love  is  heaven  !  It  is  true,  however 
deeply  enamored  a  man  may  be,  however  madly  he  may  wor 
ship  a  goddess,  he  can  love  a  woman  but  once." 

He  was  looking  full  in  her  eyes,  so  that  the  profiles  of  both 
were  offered  to  the  listener.  Though  he  spoke  lightly,  and 
with  bright  animation,  he  was  in  deep  earnest. 

"  You  make  me  smile,  old  friend,"  said  Sabrina,  "  and  yet 
I  am  very  glad,  very  happy,  for  I  see  plainly  that  the  years  we 
have  passed  have  not  cooled  your  youthful  fervor.  What  you 
say  is  true — to  live  is  to  love,  to  love  is  heaven.  I  found  it  out 
long  ago." 

As  she  finished  her  confession,  a  deep  blush  suffused  her 
face,  and  she  turned  away  her  eyes.  A  minute's  silence  fol 
lowed,  in  which  both  seemed  deeply  thinking,  and  then  Mr. 
Slaughton  resumed  the  conversation,  as  if  continuing  an  in 
terrupted  theme. 

"  This  girl ! "  Perdita  started.  Of  whom  could  he  be  speak 
ing,  in  that  cool  business  tone  ?  "  This  girl  is  proud  and 
delicate ;  she  ought  to  be  independent,  she  ought  to  have 
freedom  of  action,  and  I  am  determined  she  shall  have  all  I 
can  help  her  to.  It  is  quite  evident  that  her  parents'  notions 
were  mercenary  in  pushing  on  the  match,  and  they  ought  not 
to  reap  any  benefit  from  their  unworthy  conduct ;  her  discre 
tion  is  perfect,  and  she  will  make  a  good  use  of  the  fortune 
which  will  be  settled  upon  her." 


4O8  "  Love  Sailed  a  Match  with  Time." 

*'  But  are  you  certain  that  the  husband's  conduct  has  been 
entirely  blameless  ?  "  asked  Sabrina,  turning  a  meaning  look  on 
him. 

"  It  is  of  no  use  to  discuss  that  now,  Sabrina  ;  the  past  can 
not  be  altered,  and  we  have  only  to  deal  with  the  present  and 
the  future " 

Here  the  music  recommenced  so  noisily  that  their  voices 
were  lost  in  the  clamor.  He  leaned  eagerly  forward,  and  then 
they  both  spoke  earnestly,  and  with  very  sober  faces. 

In  the  next  lull,  she  plainly  heard  this  from  the  man  to 
whom  she  had  given  her  whole  heart. 

"  Yes,  Sabrina,  you  are  right ;  divorces  as  a  rule  are  wicked, 
monstrous  !•  But  when  a  man  has  done  his  best  to  win  a  wo 
man's  love  and  gets  only  sour  disdain  and  cold  repulse,  what 
shall  he  do  ?  Must  he  give  his  life  for  nothing  ?  shall  he 
drag  on  a  horrible  existence,  tied  to  a  wife,  like  a  living  body 
bound  to  a  dead  corpse  ?  I  say  no  !  let  the  law  set  him  free, 
that  he  may  mate  with  another  who  is  willing  to  make  him 
happy." 

"  I  find'  it  a  subject  too  difficult  and  delicate  for  discus 
sion,"  said  Sabrina. 

"  I  do  not  ask  you  to  discuss  it ;  only  promise  me,  when  it 
is  over,  you  will  be  kind " 

He  took  her  hand  and  looked  beseechingly  in  her  face. 
Perdita  did  not  hear  any  more  of  his  words,  because  the  music 
burst  into  a  jubilant  uproar  of  all  the  instruments,  which 
effectually  drowned  his  voice. 

She  had  heard  enough.  All  her  fond  dreams  vanished.  All 
her  hopes  of  happiness  faded  and  died  ;  the  world  looked  cold, 
and  a  dim  darkness  floated  before  her  vision.  She  seemed  to 
live  a  long  life  in  the  few  seconds  which  followed,  and  she 
knew  that  she  must  lift  her  burdens  from  day  to  day  as  the 
galley-slave  does  his  task — without  hope  or  cheer.  But  what 
of  it  ?  What  right  had  she  to  complain  ?  Her  duty  in  her 
place  was  not  altered.  It  was  a  bold  stand  which  she  took 


" Love  Sailed  a  Match  with  Time"  409 

on  that  far-off  wedding-day,  "  I  shall  be  your  housekeeper.  I 
shall  not  miss  what  you  call  love." 

She  had  grown  wiser  now,  but  none  the  happier,  as  it  ap 
peared,  with  her  knowledge. 

The  full-orbed  woman  who  was  his  first  love  was  still  the 
idol  of  her  husband's  soul ;  she  was  not  able  to  doubt  it.  It 
seemed  that  his  passion  for  her  kindled  his  whole  being ;  it 
shimmered  all  over  him  as  heat  and  light  radiate  from  fire. 
Even  if  she  had  heard  no  words,  the  looks,  the  attitudes  of  the 
pair,  their  very  silence,  proclaimed  that  they  were  lovers.  His 
eyes  drank  at  hers  deep  draughts  of  bliss  ;  while  hers  were 
lustrous,  still  brimming  over  ;  it  was  the  giving  which  impover 
ished!  not,  the  receiving  which  maketh  rich.  Although  the  poor 
wife  saw  but  dimly  through  a  blur  of  unshed  tears,  she  felt 
what  his  gaze  was  worth,  for  had  she  not  sunned  herself  in  those 
frit  ndly  warm  glances  ?  and  she  felt  how  bitter-hard  was  her 
fate. 

As  she  moved  to  go  stealthily  away,  something  inclined  the 
golden-haired  lady  to  turn  and  look  in  her  direction — their 
eyes  met.  Such  dazzling  beauty  as  Perdita  saw  made  her  drop 
her  lids  hopelessly ;  no  man  could  withstand  such  wondrous 
charms. 

"  Malcolm  \  "  said  Perdita,  softly,  "  come,  let  us  get  some 
supper  ;  then  we  will  go  to  our  rooms.  I  am  very  tired." 

"  Won't  you  wait  a  little  longer  for  him.     I  like  this  so  much." 

"  No,  no  !  "  answered  she,  frowning.  "  I  will  go  now  !  this 
minute." 

The  lad  was  full  of  talk,  to  which  she  listened  as  well  as  she 
could,  of  "the  great  big  dining-room, — beefsteak  and  coffee! 
and  chickens  !  Perdita,  say,  Perdita,  don't  you  wish  mother 
could  have  some  of  this  supper  ?  When  I  am  clerk  at  Cham- 
plin's,  she  shall  come  here  and  stay  ever  so  long.  Perdita,  Per 
dita,  will  they  let  me  have  some  more  meat?  I'm  hungry 
yet." 

When  he  had  eaten  till  he  could  eat  no  more,  and  she  had 
18 


4io  "Lov*  Sailed  a  Match  with  Time" 

dismissed  him  and  locked  herself  into  her  room,  how  heavy 
was  the  night !  how  desolate  the  darkness  ! 

Even  in  her  first  despair  she  never  thought  of  abandon 
ing  her  post,  of  leaving  the  house  she  had  learned  to  love  as 
her  home.  When  he  desired  to  send  her  away,  he  should  say 
so^this  man,  who  had  tried  to  be  indulgent  and  agreeable  to 
the  awkward  thing  thrust  upon  him  by  a  couple  of  old  women. 
He  had  sometimes  pitied  her  loneliness,  compassionated  her 
isolation  ;  but  he  also  resented  her  natural  struggles  in  her  hard 
place,  her  indignation  at  the  insults  he  had  begun  by  offering 
her.  She  had  been  so  foolish  and  weak  as  to  mistake  his 
friendly  indifference  for  love,  but  it  was  still  true,  he  had  never 
seen  but  one  woman  worth  loving  ;  and  the  time  was  coming — 
must  be  close  at  hand,  when  he  would  set  himself  free  from  a 
marriage  which  was  no  marriage.  Till  then  her  duty  lay  straight 
before  her — housekeeper  and  governess. 

There  were  many  points  in  their  talk  which  she  could  not 
comprehend,  but  turn  and  turn  it  about  as  she  would,  the  di 
vorce  was  a  thing  certain  ;  she  had  heard  him  say  so,  and  he 
asked  his  first  love  to  be  kind  to  him  when  it  was  over,  and 
she  would  be  kind. 

What  dreadful  feelings  fought  within  her  !  What  regret  for 
her  shattered  life,  all  settling  into  hard  resentment,  bitter  anger. 
What  right  had  he  to  speak  such  words  to  any  woman,  no 
matter  how  much  he  worshipped  her,  while  he  had  a  lawful  wife  ? 
It  was  despicable  !  it  was  wicked  !  nothing  could  make  it  just 
or  right,  nothing  could  excuse  it !  He  had  proved,  in  her 
hearing,  in  her  sight,  that  he  was  not  a  man  fit  for  the  love  of 
a  pure  girl  ;  he  was  a  man  to  despise  !  to  hate  !  And  only  yes 
terday,  she  had  hoped  to  win  a  place  in  his  heart,  a  good  home 
for  her  soul. 

U'hen  the  stars  were  paled  out  by  the  day  dawn,  poor  Per- 
dita  looked  colorless  and  wan  ;  her  eyes,  yesterday  so  brilliant, 
were  cheated  of  their  brightness,  and  set  in  circles  of  purple  ; 
her  very  lips  were  faded,  and  life  seemed  4  burden  too  hard 


''Love  Sailed  a  Match  with  Time"  411 

to  pick  up  again.  She  turned  her  face  to  the  wall  wishing 
that  the  struggle  was  ended,  that  she  could  die  there  and  be 
forgotten. 

She  was  aroused  to  the  need  of  action  by  Malcolm's  impatient 
voice  calling  her  to  come  to  breakfast — he  was  hungry.  Oh, 
yes  !  hunger  and  thirst,  labor  and  fatigue,  were  still  her  por 
tion,  and  it  was  necessary  for  her  to  arise  and  stand  in  her 
place  among  others. 

She  cast  fearful  and  perturbed  glances  along  the  gallery  and 
down  into  the  office  beneath,  as  she  walked  to  the  breakfast- 
room,  and  questioned  the  faces  at  the  table.  He  was  not  there, 
and  his  golden-haired  beauty  was  nowhere  to  be  seen. 

Malcolm  hurried  her  with  the  restlessness  of  eager  boyhood, 
to  the  completion  of  her  mission. 

It  was  high  noon  when  she  re  turned' to  the  hotel,  leaving  the 
lad  to  his  first  trial  of  business  in  his  new  place. 

The  only  person  she  met  after  she  ascended  the  stairs  was 
Samuel  Slaughton,  who  came  with  hasty  strides,  with  hands 
extended,  and  his  handsome  face  aglow  with  astonished 
pleasure. 

"  This  is  indeed  a  surprise,  Perdita  !  "  he  exclaimed  in  a  glad 
voice.  "  You  have  come  up  to  town  to  see  me  I  You  missed 
my  presence  in  the  old  house  ;  you  found  it  lonely,  dull,  with 
out  me,  clumsy  as  I  am  ?  " 

"  I  came  on  business,  sir.  I  was  sent  by  my  father  to  intro 
duce  Malcolm  to  Mr.  Champlin." 

"  Oh,  indeed  !  Champlin  &  Everts.  Has  he  a  chance  in 
that  firm  ?  Well,  that  is  a  stroke  of  luck.  Shall  we  go  directly 
and  see  the  parties,  or  will  you  choose  to  rest  awhile  ?  " 

"  I  have  already  completed  the  business,  and  I  left  my 
brother  at  his  post." 

"  Already,  Perdita  ?  and  you  did  not  consult  me — did  not 
let  me  know  of  your  arrival  ?  I  have  found  out  that  you  like 
helping  yourself,  but  really  I  call  that  defrauding  me  of  a  plea 
sure — I  might  say  of  a  right." 


412  "Love  Sailed  a  Match  with  Time." 

"  I  did  ask  for  you.  I  was  told  that  you  were  out,  and  that 
no  one  knew  when  you  would  return." 

'•  How  stupid  !  what  a  lonely  little  child  you  must  have  been 
in  this  great  city  !  why  couldn't  I  have  found  out  your  presence 
so  near  me  !  I  ought  to  have  felt  it.  Why,  I  sat  here 
in  this  very  chair  last  night  till  past  midnight,  thinking  about 
you ! " 

Perdita  blanched  to  the  hue  of  a  white  lily  as  he  spoke. 
"  What  a  pity  that  your  busiest  meditations  were  bent  on  a  plan 
to  separate  from  me,  that  you  might  be  free  to  marry  another 
woman  whom  you  have  already  in  my  hearing  entreated  to  be 
kind  !  "  she  thought. 

Mr.  Slaughton  looked  anxiously  at  his  wife,  trying  to  under 
stand  her  and  the  emotion  which  was  shivering  through  her. 

"  You  are  ill,"  said  he ;  "  you  are  suffering !  You  have 
attempted  too  much." 

"  No,  I  am  quite  well.  I  attempt  nothing.  My  strength  is 
only  equal  to  that  which  is  thrust  upon  me,  and  which  I  must 
not  shrink  from." 

"I  don't  see  at  all  why  this  affair  of  Malcolm's  should  have 
been,  as  you  say,  '  thrust  upon  you.'  1  could  have  done  it  just 
as  well.  I  wonder  your  father  did  not  ask  me  ;  too  proud,  I 
suppose — he'd  rather  tire  out  his  daughter.  I  will  have  no  more 
of  it !  Ah,  now  you  are  blooming  again,  Perdita  ;  now  I  can 
believe  you  are,  as  you  say,  well.  We'll  have  a  nice  lunch, 
that  will  rest  you.  What  a  curious  thing  it  is  to  find  you  here. 
Like  a  little  runaway  frolic.  I  like  it  vastly.  And  now  that 
you  are  here,  I  shall  keep  you.  You  shall  visit  the  art  gallery, 
and  see  how  my  pictures  are  hung.  We  will  go  to  the  Shaugh- 
raun  this  evening,  and  to-morrow  we  will  drive  out  to  the  lake, 
and  the  aqueduct.  Oh,  there  are  lots  of  places  worth  our 
time.  Do  you  know,  Perdita,  I  have  wished  a  thousand  times 
for  you.  Now  you  shall  fold  your  wings  close  by  me,  till  I 
please  to  let  you  free,  and  when  you  go  I  shall  go  with  you. 
I  had  a  long  talk  about  you  with  an  old  friend,  since  I  came 


"Love  Sailed  a  Match  with  Time."  413 

here,  of  all  things  past,  present,  and  to  come.     My  friend  gave 
me  some  good  advice." 

Perdita  started,  as  if  from  a  dream.  His  voice,  his  eager 
manner  and  cordial  empressement  had  almost  lulled  her  into 
forgetfulness  of  her  real  condition,  and  she  came  near  feeling 
happy  in  his  presence.  The  bitter  outrage  of  the  shameless 
announcement  he  made  with  such  an  unclouded,  unabashed 
countenance,  stung  her  to  the  quick. 

"  You  meet  many  friends  in  your  travels,"  she  replied,  sig 
nificantly.  She  could  not  keep  the  scorn  out  of  her  face,  but 
she  tried  to  speak  carelessly.  She  waited  for  him  to  speak. 
She  hoped  he  would  honorably  touch  the  fatal  subject,  and 
plainly  mention  Sabrina  Bradshaw's  name.  She  felt  as  if  she 
could  respect  him  more  if  he  did,  and  she  was  prepared  to  hate 
him  as  soon  as  it  passed  his  lips;  so  consistent  is  passion.  She 
waited  in  vain  ;  he  disclosed  none  of  his  intentions,  as  how 
could  he  at  such  a  time,  in  such  a  place  ?  And  while  he  seemed 
disagreeably  puzzled  by  her  manner,  he  appeared  also  deter 
mined  to  ignore  its  sarcastic  sharpness,  and  bent  on  urging  her 
stay  in  Toptown. 

"  Come,  Perdita,  you  must  want  to  shop  a  little.  I  never 
went  into  buying-places  with  you.  It  will  be  a  new  experi 
ence  ;  will  you  beat  down  the  clerks  and  flout  them  as  my 
mother  does  ?  I  don't  think  I  have  forgotten  how  to  carry 
ladies'  parcels.  I  used  to  be  quite  au  fait" 

"  Very  likely  you  have  refreshed  yourself  with  recent  prac 
tice,"  replied  she.  "  You  will  never  carry  any  parcels  of  mine, 
however.  I  am  going  back  to  your  house  by  the  next 
train." 

Perdita  spoke  faintly.  She  was  bewildered,  dizzy.  How 
could  she  reconcile  what  she  had  so  plainly  heard  with  her  own 
ears,  and  seen  with  her  own  eyes,  with  the  looks  and  actions 
she  now  studied.  He  wore  such  a  semblance  of  truth  and 
afiection. 

"  He  temporizes  with  the  miserable  wife  till  his  plans  are 


414  "  Love  Sailed  a  Match  with  Time" 

ripe.     He  is  civil,  he  smiles  and  speaks  her  fair.     'After  it  is 
over,  Sabrina,  promise  me  that  you  will  be  kind.'  " 

The  words  seemed  hissed  into  her  ears,  and  her  breast 
heaved  with  wild  rage.  Only  the  evening  before  she  had  seen 
this  pleasant-spoken,  sweet-voiced  gentleman  holding  his  lust 
love's  hand  (she  had  pulled  hers  away  from  his  grasp  almost 
before  he  touched  them).  All  unskilled  in  the  ways  of  men, 
all  unlearned  in  passion's  signs,  she  knew  that  while  he  cajoled 
her  with  cheering  phrases  he  was  a  wicked  mocker,  treacheious- 
ly  deceiving  her  ;  so  dark  grew  her  face,  such  intense,  disdain 
ful  contempt  flashed  from  her  eyes,  that  Mr.  Slaughton  started 
back  blushing  and  frowning. 

"  What  is  the  matter,  Perdita?     What  has  gone  wrong?" 

"  Everything  !  everything  !  Stand  out  of  my  path.  I  shall 
be  too  late  for  the  train." 

*'  Perdita,  if  you  will  not  remain,  or  explain  your  conduct, 
you  cannot  prevent  my  accompanying  you  home." 

"  No,  I  cannot  prevent  you,"  cried  she,  all  composure  for 
saking  her,  and  her  bosom  heaving  with  jealous  fury.  "  No,  I 
cannot  prevent  your  going  where  you  choose  ;  but  you  cannot 
compel  me  to  look  at  you  or  speak  to  you  ;  and  if  you  will 
have  me  say  it,  I  despise  you,  Samuel  Slaughton  !  I  know  you 
to-day  for  just  what  you  are,  and  all  the  gratitude  and  kindness 
I  have  been  cultivating  for  you  has  turned  sour.  I  think  before 
long  I  shall  hate  you." 

He  stood  aside  from  her  vehemence  and  overwhelming  scorn, 
without  another  word. 

When  she  returned  with  her  travelling-bag  on  her  arm  to  the 
spot  where  she  had  left  him,  he  was  nowhere  to  be  seen. 


"Daughter  Be  of  Good  Cheer"  415 


CHAPTER    LX. 
"DAUGHTER,  BE  OF  GOOD  CHEER." 

[NCE  events  begin  to  march,  the  rate  at 
which  they  post  is  sometimes  marvellous. 
You  may  lead  the  life  of  a  cabbage  in 
your  own  native  village,  day  succeeding 
day,  week  following  week,  without  cir 
cumstance  or  change  ;  but  should  you 
cut  loose  for  a  holiday,  and  turn  your 
back  on  the  fixtures  as  fast  in  their 

places  as  stumps  in  a  clearing,  people  will  commence  directly 
to  make  quarrels,  get  married,  or  die  with  most  surprising 
facility  and  dispatch  ;  so  that  when  you  return,  all  the  ancient 
land-marks  are  uprooted,  and  old  familiar  faces  shuffled  out  of 
sight. 

Mr.  Slaughton's  visit  to  Toptown  seemed  to  be  the  pivot  on 
which  turned  the  signal  for  "  Presto  !  change  ! "  And  when 
Perdita  reached  the  Blithebeck  station,  half  dead  of  fatigue  and 
the  devouring  emotions  which  had  torn  at  her  heart  and  kept 
her  brain  whirling  with  giddy  amaze  and  fright  and  anger,  sor 
rowful  anger  all  the  way,  she  found  Stephen  waiting  full  of 
flurry  and  excitement.  He  scarcely  waited  for  her  to  reach 
the  platform  when  he  blurted  out  the  news  that  Dame  Slaugh- 
ton  had  been  stricken  down  with  typhoid  pneumonia, 

I  K-spair  and  heart-sickness  were  swallowed  in  the  necessity 
for  immediate  action,  and  she  hastened  to  the  bedside  of  her 
mother-in-law,  to  do  with  her  might  the  work  which  lay  right 
under  her  hand. 

So  ill  was  the  poor  old  lady  that  her  breath  came  already  in 


4 1 6  "  Daughter  Be  of  Good  Cheer. ' ' 

sobs,  and  Perdita  never  forgot  the  regretful,  hopeless  gaze  she 
fixed  on  her  as  soon  as  she  appeared. 

"  Oh  !  you've  come,"  gasped  she.  "  I  was  afraid  I  shou'd 
have  to  die  alone.  I've  had  my  warning  at  last — the  white 
horse  !  His  eyes  were  wild  and  staring,  and  his  chest  was  cov 
ered  with  foam,  and  he  plunged  into  the  black  water  and  sank 
out  of  my  sight ;  and  I  knew  that  my  time  had  come.  Where 
is  Samuel  ?  " 

"  He  has  not  returned,"  whispered  she,  half  shrinking  from 
what  seemed  to  her  the  ravings  of  a  diseased  brain. 

"  Send  for  him  !  Send  for  Sammy  !  Don't  you  see  I'm  dy 
ing  !  send  this  instant !  " 

Perdita  dispatched  a  telegram,  bidding  Stephen  wait  for  the 
midnight  train.  When  at  last  she  heard  the  horses'  quick  trot 
up  the  road,  she  stepped  to  the  door  to  forewarn  the  son,  and 
prepare  him  for  the  sad  sight  he  must  see  ;  and  she  felt  so 
much  pity  for  his  sorrow,  that  she  ruled  all  reproach  and  anger 
from  her  face. 

Stephen  had  returned  alone. 

She  dreaded  to  take  such  doleful  news  to  the  sick  woman, 
and  could  not  bear  to  meet  the  eyes  which  fastened  upon  hers 
so  filled  with  yearning  and  expectancy.  No  words  were 
needed.  The  messenger  brought  her  message  of  disappoint 
ment  in  her  face,  and  the  poor  old  creature  shook  her  head, 
and  closed  the  faded,  wrinkled  lids,  through  which  a  couple  of 
tears  slowly  filtered. 

"  I  shall  never  see  Samuel. again  in  this  world  ;  I  shall  have 
to  die  without  a  kiss  from  my  son,"  she  moaned.  "  Old,  alone, 
forsaken  !  forgotten  ! " 

When  the  Doctor  came  in  the  morning,  she  asked  him 
plainly,  "  How  long  have  I  to  live  ?  "  and,  although  he  par 
ried  her  question  with  hopeful  words,  she  had  gotten  so  near 
to  eternity  that  she  was  nearly  able  to  read  thoughts. 

"  To-night.  I  shall  die  to-night ;  can't  you  fetch  my  Samuel 
before  dark  ?  " 


"Daughter  Be  of  Good  Cheer."  417 

Seeing  the  young  wife  without  counsellors  in  her  inexperi 
ence,  the  Doctor  advised  her  to  dispatch  a  messenger  to  Top- 
town.  "  Your  father  will  go,"  said  he ;  "  let  him  start 
immediately." 

Old  Parson  Hethwaite's  pride  had  kept  him  aloof  from  the 
prosperous  rich ;  but  he  was  quite  willing  to  go  in  search  of 
this  man  coming  into  a  heritage  of  sorrow.  That  was  in  his 
line  of  business,  and  he  set  about  his  preparations  with  alacrity. 
And  I  think  he  ran  over,  in  his  mind,  the  various  texts  of  his 
best  funeral  discourses  ;  and  I  know  he  hummed  Windham  and 
China  while  he  packed  his  old  valise. 

All  clay  Perdita  watched  the  sufferer,  applying  the  prescribed 
remedies  ;  and  so  intense  were  her  hope  and  dread,  that  her 
heart  stood  still  when  she  heard  approaching  footsteps  at 
evening. 

Only  one  !  her  father  had  returned  alone.  Mr.  Slaughton 
was  not  in  Toptown.  He  had  left  the  hotel  on  Friday,  and 
nobody  knew  whither  he  was  gone. 

Another  long  night  of  watching  !     Two  o'clock  had  struck 
when  the  sick  woman  roused  from  the  heavy  torpor  which  had  * 
shut  in  her  senses  for  hours — insomuch  that  her  labored  breath 
ing  was  the  only  sign  of  life  in  the  nearly  worn-out  body — and 
looked  eagerly  around  her. 

"  Not  come  yet  ?  "  she  whispered  with  difficulty.  "  Old  ! 
alone  !  neglected  !  forgotten  !  "  A  spasm  of  grief  convulsed  her 
wrinkled  features  as  she  moaned  out  her  desolation,  so  dreary  \ 
so  pitiful ! 

It  was  unutterably  dreadful  to  the  young  watcher,  who  sat  a 
little  way  off  quietly  weeping,  to  witness  her  joyless  departure. 
To  know  that  she  was  surely  going  out  of  the  world,  where  she 
had  been  so  busy,  so  energetic,  so  full  of  will,  into  silence 
mute  and  soundless.  Going,  not  of  her  own  desire,  as  one  sets 
out  on  a  journey,  but  dragged  by  a  power  she  could  not  resist 
or  dispute ;  that  she  would  not  be  permitted  to  linger  for  a 
farewell  to  the  only  being  she  truly  loved ;  that  the  hand  she 
18* 


418  "Daughter  Be  of  Good  Cheer" 

had  held  fondly  clasped  in  hers,  when,  in  his  beautiful  infancy,  she 
pressed  her  baby  to  her  breast  and  he  mirrored  himself  in  her 
could  not  reach  the  cold  fingers  lying  helplessly  above 
the  throbbing  heart,  through  which  the  chilling  life-blood 
coursed  ever  more  feebly  and  fitfully. 

An  awful  terror  seized  upon  Perdita — knowing  that  the  re 
lentless  messenger,  Death  !  was  grimly  watching  with  her  for 
the  appointed  moment  when  his  fatal  touch  should  still  that 
panting  heart,  and  stop  for  ever  that  laboring  breath. 

Superadded  to  all  she  was  enduring  was  the  sickening  cei- 
tainty  that  this  poor  mother's  longed-for  son  was  a  man  utterly 
unworthy  and  that  he  held  her  whole  soul  in  his  keeping. 

Suddenly  she  found  a  pair  of  glassy  eyes  fastened  upon  her, 
and  the  dying  creature's  lips  moved.  She  drew  nearer  to  catch 
what  she  felt  were  the  last  words  she  would  ever  utter. 

"Perdita,  I  made  a  great  mistake.  I  thought  too  much 
about  myself,  and  I  did  not  think  enough  about  you.  I  wanted 
a  good,  honest  girl  to  help  me — a  stout,  willing  pair  of  hands 
to  lift  the  burdens  which  I  felt  too  heavy  for  mine.  I  have 
deeply  sinned  besides  ;  for  after  I  got  you  here,  I  hated  to  see 
that  you  could  take  his  love  from  me,  and  I  was  angry  to 
know  that  he  gave  it  of  his  own  accord  ;  and  you  had  to  try  no 
arts  to  win  it.  I  felt  bitter  to  see  how  soon  he  loved  you,  how 
you  grew  into  his  heart  It  is  your  own  place,  Perdita — your 
own !  You  are  so  good  and  my  Samuel  is  so  true,  that  it  could 
not  have  been  otherwise.  What  short-sighted,  selfish  creatures 
we  are  !  I  wanted  an  heir  to  my  property.  I  hoped  to  live  to 
see  little  Sammy  trotting  around  the  old  rooms ;  and  I  did  hope 
to  hold  my  dear  boy's  child  in  my  arms,  which  cradled  him.  I 
shall  not  live  for  that  joy.  I  am  punished  for  my  wicked 
hardness,  terribly  punished.  The  Lord  did  not  count  me 
worthy.  Try  to  do  your  duty  as  you  have  always  done,  my 
daughter." 

She  reached  out  her  hand,  clammy  with  the  death-sweat,  and 
tried  to  touch  Perdita' s ;  the  girl  made  a  strong  effort  and 


"Daughter  Be  of  Good  Cheer."  419 

shudderingly  laid  her  fingers  on  the  cold  ones,  which  sent  an 
icy  chill  through  her  as  she  felt  their  clutch. 

"  Promise  me  to  stay  at  your  post  here  in  the  homestead, 
and  keep  the  children  together.  Have  patience  with  my  poor 
Cicely,  and  may  the  Lord  open  her  heart  to  goodness  and  truth  ; 
and  as  you  do  by  mine  so  may  He  do  by  yours.  Give  my  love 
to  Samuel,  and  don't  forget  right  away  the  poor  old  woman  who 
blesses  you  with  her  latest  breath.  I  think  I  shall  be  there  in 
the  room  when  you  awake  to  mother-joy.  I  can't  see  your  face, 
Perdita.  I'm  going  fast.  I  shall  not  see  day  dawn.  I  am 
truly  thankful  that  it  is  so  well  between  you  and  your  good 
husband.  I  should  hate  to  die,  knowing  I  had  spoiled  two  lives." 

Perdita  withdrew  hastily  from  the  bed,  and  pressed  her 
hands  upon  her  breast.  She  felt  that  she  must  cry  aloud — she 
knew  with  such  bitter  knowledge  that  her  life  was  marred  past 
mending. 

The  birds  were  beginning  their  morning  concert,  and  still  the 
watcher  sat  listening  to  the  labored  breathing,  whose  throbbing 
throes  counted  themselves  in  the  stillness.  She  listened  till  her 
heart  seemed  a  part  of  the  one  whose  uncertain  strokes  were 
about  to  cease.  She  felt  weary  with  the  unconscious  effort  to 
keep  time  with  those  panting  breaths.  All  at  once  there  came 
a  gurgle  in  the  throat,  a  faint  gasp,  and — such  silence,  as  if 
all  human  life  was  stopped.  Even  the  bird-songs  ceased,  mute 
silence  !  sudden  !  profound.  She  waited  motionless,  watching 
the  stark  form  ;  dreading,  expecting  the  next  breath  ;  her  strain 
ing  ears  could  catch  no  sound ;  she  seemed  to  see  the  hand 
stir  ;  she  rose  and  looked  fearfully  in  the  palid  face.  The 
half  open  eyes  were  glozed,  the  lower  jaw  had  dropped ;  she 
put  her  ear  close  to  the  pillow.  Silence  profound  !  terrible  ! 
She  fled  swiftly,  but  with  noiseless  footsteps,  lest  she  might 
awake  the  sleeper,  whom  nothing  could  arouse  till  the  arch 
angel's  trump  calls  forth  the  dead.  On  the  threshold  she 
paused  an  instant,  sending  a  glance  over  her  shoulder.  A  bird 
had  alighted  on  the  rose-bush  close  to  the  open  window,  and 


420       "  Whither  Goest  Thou,  Pilgrim  Stranger?' 

with  its  bright  eyes  fixed  on  the  poor,  worn-out  old  body,  it 
burst  into  a  rapture  of  melodious  song,  which  filled  the  whole 
place  with  triumphant  rejoicing. 


CHAPTER   LXI. 
"WHITHER  GOEST  THOU,  PILGRIM  STRANGER?" 

-AMUEL    SLAUGHTON   left   Toptown. 
He   took   the  first  train  which   met  his 
sight  when  he  reached  the  depot.     On  a 
great    placard   he   read,    "Through   for 
Chicago,  St.  Louis  and  the  West."     He 
entered  a  car  and  sat  down.     After  a 
while  a  man  came  along  wi:h  a  lantern, 
and  touched  his  shoulder.     He  pushed 
off  his  hat,  which  had  been  slouched  over  his  face,  unfolded  his 
anus,  and  looked  up  at  the  intruder,  who  was  shouting  in  his 
ear  above  the  rac-a-tac  of  the  wheels  : 
"  Want  a  berth,  sir  ?  " 

Of  course  he  wanted  a  berth.     What  so  good  to  pass  away 
time  as  sleep?     He  gave  his  name,  received  his  number,  and 
relapsed  into  thought.     Presently  he  was  disturbed  again. 
"  Ticket,  sir." 

He  turned  fretfully.     There  stood  the  conductor,  inspecting 
his  hat-band  by  the  light  of  his  lantern ;  he  put  up  his  hand, 
and  finding  no  check,  he  remembered  that  he  had  not  purchased 
a  ticket,  and  he  pulled  out  his  wallet. 
"How  much?" 
"  Where  to  ?  " 
He  stopped  to  think  where  he  was  going,  and  the  conductor 


"Whither  Goest  Thou,  Pilgrim  Stranger."      421 

commenced  impatiently  running  over  the  main  points  of  his 
route.  Chicago — St.  Louis,  etc." 

"  Yes,  Chicago  !  how  much  ?  " 

"  You  can  pay  me  to  Redwing  ;  we  get  there  at  five  o'clock. 
There  you  can  buy  through  ;  I  get  off  there  to-night ;  you  ought 
to  have  bought  at  Toptown  ;  saves  considerable  to  get  a  through. 
Here's  your  change,  and  your  check,"  he  called  out,  as  loud  as 
he  could  scream.  He  saw  that  his  passenger  was  not  attending. 

As  the  sleeping-car  man  passed  the  other,  he  tapped  his 
forehead,  and  winked  significantly  at  Mr.  Slaughton,  who  had 
forgotten  them  both. 

"  Queer  street,"  said  he  ;   "  fifth  story  ;  nobody  to  home." 

The  heavy  hours  clattered  by,  but  they  brought  no  rest  for 
tumultuous  thoughts,  which  were  scarcely  thoughts,  so  dis 
jointed,  aimless,  and  distracting  were  they.  All  at  once  the 
thread  of  noise  which  had  been  bearing  them  along  was  snapped. 
The  cars  stood  still. 

"  Redwing  !  twenty  minutes  for  refreshments  !" 

He  followed  the  crowd,  being  disturbed,  nearly  deafened  by 
the  clamor  of  a  great  bell,  which  a  fellow  on  the  platform  was 
swinging  back  and  forth  with  all  the  strength  of  his  arms, 
while  he  bellowed  out  the  name  and  attractions  of  his  house. 
He  walked  into  a  hotel.  An  officious  waiter  bowed  him  in. 

"  Room,  sir  !     Breakfast,  sir  ! " 

"Yes!  a  quiet  room." 

Mr.  Slaughton  lay  down,  and  a  heavy  slumber  fell  on  him — a 
stupor  of  forgetfulness. 

When  he  awoke  the  day  was  far  advanced.  He  sat  up  and 
looked  about  him.  He  slowly  recalled  the  late  events,  and 
his  first  impulse  was  to  go  home  and  look  in  Perdita's  face, 
lie  felt  hungry  for  a  sight  of  her.  A  dreary  flood  of  memories 
which  beat  over  him — of  her  parting  words,  her  bitter  scorn, 
her  disgust,  her  hate,engulfed  him — sweeping  away  hope  and  joy, 
and  happiness,  and  he  was  stranded  on  an  arid  shore  of  unrest. 
Before  him  stretched  a  boundless  desert  of  barren  unprofitable- 


422       "  Whither  Gocst  Thou,  Pilgrim  Stranger" 

ness.  No  use  in  living;  no  motive  for  action  ;  as  well  here  as 
anywhere  ;  better  anywhere  than  there.  He  let  the  day  go  by 
without  arriving  at  any  resolution.  He  did  not  note  the 
wasting  of  the  hours,  but  just  allowed  them  to  drip — and  drip, 
without  caring  for  their  flight.  If  he  had  known  that  his  last 
one  was  counted,  he  would  not  have  lifted  a  finger,  or  breathed 
a  sigh  of  regret. 

When  the  waiter  came  and  asked  him  to  dine  or  sup,  he 
followed  him,  eating  what  was  fetched  for  him,  and  rising  with 
the  others  when  they  left  the  table,  careless  of  the  eyes  which 
were  watching  him  with  compassion  or  curiosity,  and  of  the 
busy  tongues  which  were  wagging  over  his  condition  and 
affairs. 

As  he  was  walking  slowly  down  the  hall,  his  hands  were 
suddenly  seized,  and  a  familiar  voice  shouted  out  with  a  glad 
accost,  "  Sam  !  my  dear  fellow,  I  have  found  you  at  last  !  " 

*'  And  what  do  you  want  with  me  ? "  asked  he,  nervously 
resisting  the  strong  grasp  with  which  Chandy  Goldsmith  had 
laid  hold  of  him.  He  lifted  his  sad,  troubled  eyes  to  the  great 
loving  ones,  full  of  sympathy  and  sorrow,  and  added,  "  What 
has  happened,  Chandos  ?  Why  are  you  here  ?  " 

"  I've  terrible  news  for  you,  Sam  ;  terrible  news  !  You  must 
brace  yourself  to  meet  an  affliction — a  bereavement,  Sam,  old 
fellow." 

"  Has — has  Perdita  gone  away  ?  has  she  left  my  house  ?  " 

"  Perdita !  no.  Sam,  come  up  to  your  room,"  added 
Chandos,  seeing  a  curious  crowd  gathering  around  them.  "  I 
must  speak  to  you  alone." 

"Tell  me, Chandy  !"  said  his  friend,  as  Mr.  Goldsmith  linked 
his  arm  in  his,  and  they  ascended  the  stairs  together.  "  Tell 
me  !  You  can't  hurt  me  more  than  she  did." 

"  Your  mother  is  very  ill  !     Your  mother,  I  fear,  is  dying." 

"  My  mother  !  "  exclaimed  Mr.  Slaughton,  stopping  short ; 
"  ill !  and  I,  her  only  son,  away  from  her  !  I  must  return  imme 
diately  !  immediately  !  do  you  hear,  Chandos  ?  " 


"Whither  Goest  Thou,  Pilgrim  Stranger''      423 

He  passed  his  hand  across  his  forehead  as  if  trying  to  recall 
his  scattered  senses,  and  he  threw  a  quick,  suspicious  look  at 
his  friend,  who  was  intently  observing  him. 

"  I  see  you  think  strange  of  my  vagabondizing ;  but  a  sudden 
fancy  took  me  to  run  up  here.  I  didn't  think  to  stop  so  long. 
Dying,  did  you  say  ?  God  grant  I  be  not  too  late  !  " 

"  I  trust  not,"  answered  Chandos.  "They  telegraphed  to 
you  from  Toptown,  and  Mr.  Hethvvaite  himself  went  after  you  ; 
but  you  started  in  too  much  haste,  it  seems,  to  leave  a  line  or 
post  a  letter.  As  they  could  get  no  clue  to  you,  your  wife 
sent  to  me  !  Of  course  I  started  instantly.  I  got  your  name 
from  the  sleeping-car  list,  and  here  you  are.  Now,  Sam,  shan't 
I  go  on  home  with  you  ?  You  are  likely  to  need  a  friend  ?" 

Mr.  Slaughton  felt  the  delicacy,  which,  in  face  of  his  late 
revelations  (meagre  though  they  were,  yet  sufficient  to  let  his 
friend  know  that  his  relations  with  his  wife  were  not  happy), 
hesitated  to  thrust  itself  into  his  troubles.  He  sent  a  thought 
among  his  home  situations,  and  he  felt  averse  to  unveiling 
them  afresh  to  this  happy,  man,  blessed  with  a  fond  compan 
ion  who  clung  to  him,  comforted  and  helped  him.  He  felt  it 
easier  to  go  alone. 

"  No  !  thanks,  Chandos,  I  will  send,  if  there  is  anything  you 
can  do.  I  trust  I  shall  find  my  mother  better.  I  must  set  off 
at  once.  You  are  kind — always  kind,  old  friend.  You  can  afford 
to  be  kind,  for  your  life  is  rich  in  blessings." 

Mr.  Slaughton  staggered  under  the  sudden  blow,  which 
effectually  aroused  him,  and  sent  his  thoughts  into  their  wonted 
channels.  All  his  faculties  centered  instantly  in  his  mother  and 
the  duty  he  owed  her. 


424 


Good-  By ],  Sweetheart. 


CHAPTER    LXII. 

GOOD-BV,    SWEETHEART  1 


[HO  can  tell  the  thoughts  of  the  silent  man, 
over  the  casket  dressed  with  flowers,  over 
the  open  grave,  in  the  lonely  rooms  ? 
The  voice  he  had  first  heard  there  was 
hushed  forever  ;  the  woman  who  reared 
him,  planned  for  him,  worked  for  him, 
bewailed  his  absence,  rejoiced  in  his 
presence,  was  dead  !  She  had  died  alone  ! 
Was  he  mourning  her  loss  ?  Was  he  sorrowing  over  his  lost 
love  ?  Was  he  planning  a  prosperous  future  ?  Was  he  despair 
ing  ?  Was  he  angry  ?  Was  he  calculating  his  chances  of 
happiness  ?  Was  he  indifferent  ?  He  made  no  sign.  He 
went  soberly  about  his  duties,  answering  decorously  all  calls 
upon  his  time,  all  demands  upon  his  attention.  He  saw  the 
undertaker,  he  conversed  with  the  grave-digger ;  he  gave  a 
concise  and  particular  order  to  the  monument  man  ;  he  selected 
a  turfer  and  graveyard  gardener,  and  paid  him  a  bonus  on 
future  wages.  He  smoked  a  good  many  cigars,  and  he  walked 
miles  and  miles.  He  visited  the  oak  wood  where  he  and  Chandy 
had  intruded  on  the  picnic,  and  the  old  mill  where  he  had  saved 
the  setter,  Sam  ;  and  the  garden  where  he  had  helped  hjs  wife 
plant  the  bulbs ;  the  studio  where  he  had  given  her  lessons ; 
the  old  house  under  the  hill  where  he  had  accompanied  her  when 
she  went  to  fetch  home  Cicely  Vance  ;  all  the  places  which  had 
the  least  reminiscence  of  or  association  with  his  wife  Perdita, 
he  haunted  and  lingered  over.  He  even  went  down  to  the  old 
parsonage,  that  he  might  sit  in  the  room  where  he  had  first  seen 
the  dark-browed  girl  who  withdrew  so  pointedly  from  his  neigh- 


Good- By,  Sweetheart.  425 

borhood ;  and  he  went  and  stood  in  the  precise  spot  in  the 
darkened  parlor,  where  he  had  taken  her  hand  and  promised  to 
love  and  cherish  her. 

Ferdita  did  not  intrude  upon  his  occupations,  but  went  reso 
lutely  about  her  duties  and  preparations.  She  gathered  the 
children  together,  keeping  them  out  of  his  way.  She  sat  at  his 
table  ;  she  got  them  all  measured  for  their  mourning  ;  she  put 
on  hers,  and  the  regulation  crape  veil ;  and  she  locked  up  the 
lavender  muslin,  with  its  flounces — poor  muslin  !  After  all  the 
joy,  and  hope,  and  bliss,  which  had  been  trimmed  into  its  trim 
ming,  it  had  turned  out  such  a  desolate  failure.  Never  seeing 
its  heyday  of  happiness,  a  dungeon  with  a  locked  door,  dark 
ness  and  obscurity  are  its  proper  meed.  Good-by,  pretty  dress-! 
pretty  to  no  good ;  useless,  out  of  time  and  place,  hide  yourself 
in  secret ;  be  ashamed  !  fade  !  and  drop  to  pieces  ! 

All  the  outward  signs  and  forms  at  the  mansion  house  were 
correct ;  the  funeral  was  large  and  solemn,  the  bearers  stout, 
respectable  men — old  neighbors,  who  looked  and  behaved  with 
decorum  and  reverence  ;  the  singing  good  ;  Parson  Hethwaite's 
sermon  solid  and  heavy — his  address  to  the  mourners  in  the 
front  pew,  who  stood  up  to  attend,  was  orthodox  and  dreary. 

After  it  was  all  over,  and  the  air  and  light  of  heaven  was  once 
more  admitted  to  the  house,  and  the  living,  having  left  their  dead 
behind  them,  were  moving  on  as  if  no  vacancy  had  been  made, 
no  chair  empty,  Samuel  Slaughton  came  for  the  first  time  into 
the  library  where  Perdita  was  sitting. 

"  I  shall  leave  this  country  for  a  while,"  said  he.  "  I  trust 
you  will  remain  in  this  house  !  " 

"  Assuredly  ! "  she  replied,  with  great  outward  composure. 
"  I  promised  your  mother  to  stay  among  the  children,  and  I 
shall  keep  my  word  till  I  am  removed." 

"Perdita!"  said  he,  looking  piteously  at  her,  "it  is  of  no 
use  going  back  into  the  past  any  more,  I  suppose,  and  there  is 
nothing  in  the  future  for  you  and  me  !" 

"  Yes  !  to  live  apart,  as  you  feel,  since  you  are  about  to 


426  Good-By,  Sweetheart. 

quit  this  place.  When  you  are  ready  to  take  the  necessary 
steps  to  set  you  free  in  the  eyes  of  the  law,  as  you  have  always 
been  in  fact,  you  may  rest  assured  that  I  shall  not  lay  a  straw 
in  your  road." 

"  And  you  will  rejoice  in  your  freedom ! "  exclaimed  he 
bitterly. 

"There  is  no  question  of  me  !  There  was  none  in  the  be 
ginning  ;  there  is  none  in  the  ending." 

He  looked  at  her  with  aching  eyes ;  proud,  cold,  every  look 
and  attitude  full  of  alienation  and  dislike. 

Suddenly  she  turned  her  face  towards  him,  though  her  eyes 
still  sought  the  ground — the  black,  intense  eyes,  with  their 
brows  arched  by  nature  into  such  disdain  that  they  needed  the 
bright  smiles  her  red  lips  were  so  capable  of,  to  soften  their 
pride.  What  a  pity  she  had  not  lifted  her  glance  to  his,  instead 
of  veiling  it  beneath  her  dropped  lids  till  her  long,  curling 
lashes  touched  her  cheek. 

'•  I  wish  to  ask  you  a  question  before  you  go,  just  to  please 
and  satisfy  myself.  You  are  at  liberty  to  answer  or  not,  as  you 
choose." 

"  Ask  it !  "  exclaimed  he  eagerly,  and  yet,  as  it  seemed  to 
her,  with  curious  trepidation.  She  saw,  without  looking  at  him, 
that  he  was  deeply  discomposed,  he  turned  his  mourning  ring 
about  and  about  on  his  shrunken  finger,  and  his  gaze  fastened 
fixedly  on  her.  The  deep  line  between  his  eyes  deepened,  and 
the  faint  red  flickered  and  changed  in  his  haggard  face — such 
alteration  had  the  few  days  effected  in  his  appearance.  It 
might  be  sorrow  ;  it  might  be  remorse. 

"If  the  words  were  revoked  which  tie  you  in  this  most  un 
fortunate  marriage,  and  you  were  free  to  choose  again,  do  you 
know  the  woman  whom  you  would  marry  ?  " 

"  No  !  a  thousand  times  no  !  " 

His  manner  was  violent,  his  face  splashed  with  blushes,  his 
tyes  sparkling,  his  voice  hoarse  with  emotion. 

"  One  word  more  !     Have  you  ever  spoken  words  of  love 


"  The  Good  Men  Do  Live  After  Them"         427 

to  any  other  woman  since  you  took  my  hand  in  the  old  parson 
age — that  blessed  day  the  sun  shone  on  ?" 

Oh,  how  bitter  was  her  tone  !  how  repellant  her  manner  ! 

"  You  wish  to  insult  me,  Perdita !     You  do  insult  me  !  " 

"  That  is  all,  and  more  than  enough,"  said  she,  rising.  The 
good  time  for  meeting  his  glance  had  passed  now  ;  his  glowed 
and  beamed  with  anger,  which  burned  up  all  its  tenderness. 

"  I  shall  not  be  up  to-morrow  morning  when  you  leave.  I 
will  say  good-by  now." 

"  Good-by,  Perdita.     God  bless  you  !  " 

"God  forgive  you  ! "  she  said,  in  a  hard,  resonant  voice,  as 
she  passed  out  of  his  sight. 


CHAPTER  LXIII. 
"THE  GOOD  MEN  DO  LIVE  AFTER  THEM." 


HE  autumn  passed  away  quietly — the 
gorgeous  time  of  ripened  leaves,  so  rich 
with  memories. 

The  many-tinted  beauties  with  which 
Perdita  had  decked  the  old  library,  and 
which  her  husband  had  praised  and  ad 
mired  a  thousand   times,   had   withered 
and  faded,  and  been  gathered  and  swept  out  as  rubbish. 

The  hopes  which  she  had  slowly  and  fearfully  garnered  while 
they  were  aglow,  were  dead  also,  and  buried  out  of  sight ;  and 
though  she  plodded  through  the  daily  tasks,  faithfully  teaching 
the  children,  ordering  Slowgo,  drawing,  studying,  everything 
about  her  was  so  full  of  the  man  who  left  her  to  lead  her  deso- 


428         "  The  Good  Men  Do  Live  After  Them:' 

late  life,  that  she  felt  often   that  she  must  flee  away  from  their 
heart  breaking  associations  and  give  herself  rest. 

One  good  had  come  to  her  out  of  her  wreck.  She  had 
learned  that  her  father  was  able  to  be  a  valuable  counsellor  ; 
and  there  were  times  when  she  almost  opened  her  heart  enough 
to  feel  him  a  friend.  The  disasters  in  her  life,  which  he  could 
not  help  seeing,  had  much  shaken  him  out  of  his  apathy, 
thawed  his  ice-crust,  and  ameliorated  the  sternness  which  years 
of  disappointment  and  poverty  had  built  up  around  him  ;  and 
in  his  first  outgo  of  benevolence,  his  earnest  endeavor  to  com- 
fort  his  child,  he  also  opened  his  eyes  to  his  faded  wife's  need 
of  cherishing,  his  children's  want  of  a  father  instead  of  a 
tyrant. 

As  the  poor,  stricken  lady,  once  pretty  Violet  Wemple,  ex 
panded  in  the  unwonted  and  most  unexpected  kindness  which 
came  to  her  like  rain  on  the  mown  grass,  she  lifted  her  head  a 
little,  and  nearly  felt  as  if  she  might  bloom  afresh. 

The  first  gust  of  natural  tenderness  among  them  was  when 
Perdita  brought  down  to  the  parsonage  a  bundle  of  papers  she 
had  found  in  her  desk  directed  to  her.  They  were  among  the 
documents  which  she  was  obliged  to  read,  informing  her  of  the 
money  arrangements  which  her  husband  had  made  for  her 
when  he  left  home. 

They  were  the  legal  forms  of  adoption,  executed  and  signed, 
bestowing  the  child  Bettine  upon  her,  making  her  darling  the 
joint  property  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Slaughton,  and  an  heir  of  the 
Slaughton  estates,  in  default  of  legal  successors  to  the  same. 

It  bore  a  date  immediately  after  the  Thanksgiving  dinner, 
and  had  been  kept  back  by  poor  Sam  for  a  bonne  bouche  to 
accompany  the  talk  he  promised  himself  and  his  wife  on  his 
return  from  the  fateful  Toptown  journey. 

Such  tears  of  mingled  happiness  and  misery  as  were  showered 
upon  the  tiny  darling,  made  all  her  own  by  this  noble,  dis 
interested  action  ;  such  broken  thanks,  such  tender  kisses ; 
tears  from  the  woman  who  had  shed  so  many  that  her  beauty 


"  The  Good  Men  Do  Live  After  Them"        429 

was  dimmed  and  faded ;  tears  from  the  little  fairy  in  her  soft 
muslin,  gay  ribbons,  and  floating  curls,  who  wept  because 
Perdita  sobbed  so  dreadfully  that  she  could  not  choose  but 
droop  her  sweet  lips  in  sympathetic  sorrow ;  tears  from  rosy- 
cheeked,  careless  Dolly,  who  palpitated  beneath  her  mother's 
caress,  and  got  no  rebuke  for  the  folly. 

Tears  also  from  the  sere  fountains  long  unused  to  flow,  which 
rained  down  in  torrents,  when  Perdita  went  over  to  her  father, 
and  throwing  her  arms  around  his  neck,  kissed  his  withered 
cheek. 

"  Father,  I  thank  God  and  you  for  your  goodness  !  and  I 
shall  pray  to  him  every  day  on  my  knees  to  forgive  all  the 
hard  and  bitter  feelings  I  have  cherished  against  you.  Bettine 
is  mine  !  " 

That  night,  when  the  Parson  was  left  alone  with  his  wife,  he 
told  her  for  the  first  time  in  his  life  that  he  was  sorry.  She 
could  hardly  take  in  the  wondrous  announcement ;  and  when 
he  followed  that  by  saying  he  meant  to  do  different,  she  just 
settled  down  into  a  tired  little  heap  and  moaned  and  sobbed  at 
his  feet. 

"  David,"  said  she  in  a  broken  voice,  full  of  tenderness  and 
love,  "  I  always  felt  that  if  you  had  had  good  times  you  would 
have  been  different.  I  don't  mind.  I  won't  ever  think  of  the  past 
again  if  you  will  be  soft  to  me.  Kiss  me,  husband  !  Kiss  your 
faded  Violet.  I  was  fresh  and  blooming  when  you  married 
me." 

The  old  man  raised  her  up,  straining  her  to  his  heart,  and 
calling  Heaven  to  witness  that  he  took  her  in  good  faith. 

"  Great  God  !  if  I  could  but  bring  back  thy  sweet  youth 
again  ! "  exclaimed  he  in  such  bitterness  of  self-reproach  as 
made  her  pity  him. 

"No,  David,  that  cannot  be!"  said  she  solemnly.  "See 
here  !  My  black  hair  has  bleached  to  snow,  and  yours  has 
fallen  ;  we  are  old  and  worn  ;  there  is  only  the  evening  of  life 
left  us.  Pray  that  our  sun  may  set  in  glory,  that  we  may  fall 


43O  "For  Thee  was  a  Houst  Made" 

asleep  together.     Only,  be  gentle   to  me,   David.     There  \a 
still  time  to  keep  your  promise  : 

'"If  friends  to  thee  have  proved  untrue, 
I  will  be  all  they  should  have  been. 
If  fortune  frown  upon  thy  view, 

I'll  give  thee  smiles  thou  shouldst  have  seen. 
Thou  shall  not  want  for  anything 
That  he  who  loveth  thee  can  bring  ; 
And  love  makes  all  things  to  be  had — 
Prythee,  Sweetheart,  be  not  sad  ! ' 

You  see,  I  remember  well,  because  I  loved  well,  David." 
"  Don't,  wife  !  every  word  you  say  hurts  me  like  a  blow." 
"  Then  I  will  talk  no  more,  and  we  will  begin  to  be  truly 

happy." 

14  Dolly,"  said   Mrs.  Hethwaite,  one  day  soon  after,  "  I  am 

afraid  your  father  is  going  to  die." 

"  I   hope  not,  mother,  just  as  he  is  getting  bearable   and 

decent." 

"  Yes,  Dolly,  I  think  he  must  be  ;  he  is  getting  dying  grace." 


CHAPTER  LXV. 

"  FOR   THEE   WAS   A    HOUSE    MADE   ERE   THOU   WAST   BORN." 


|HE  winter  was  marked   by  two   events; 
Randy  Teazle  was  taken  ill,  and  Cicely, 
after  telling  lies  enough  to  ensure  per 
dition  (unforgiven),  trumping  up  excuses 
to  visit  him  stealthily,  finally  begged  with 
tears  to  be  allowed  to  go  and  stay  with 
him  "  one  long,  long  day." 
"I'm  sure  it  will  be  so  sweet  to  nurse  Randy,  aunty." 
Ignoring  the  sentimental   leer  with   which  Cicely  delivered 


"For  Thee  was  a  House  Made."  431 

this  opinion,  Perdita  consented,  after  some  consideration. 
She  really  pitied  the  loneliness  of  the  boy.  He  was  such  a 
gentle  creature.  And  she  hoped  to  keep  the  would-be  nurse 
in  good  faith  with  her  by  consenting.  So  she  put  up  a  basket 
of  jellies  and  other  delicacies,  and  started  her  off  full  of  rosy 
satisfaction. 

In  the  afternoon  she  thought  she  would  herself  pay  the  sick 
lad  a  visit. 

She  found  Cicely  and  Sal  in  a  high  game  of  romps  ;  laughing, 
and  jumping,  squalling  like  cats,  and  all  the  plates  and  bowls 
were  empty. 

"  So  this  is  the  way  you  nurse  Randy,  is  it  ?  "  said  Perdita 
severely  to  the  abashed  froiickers."  "  It  is  a  wonder  you 
haven't  killed  him  outright." 

"  Oh,  Mrs.  Slaughton  !  "  implored  the  boy,  holding  the  soft, 
cool  hand  she  extended  to  him,  in  his  burned  and  parched  with 
fever.  "  Oh,  do  take  her  away  !  I'm  fit  to  die  !  They  ate  up 
all  the  nice  things  you  sent  to  me,  and  they  most  split  my  head 
with  tearing  round  ;  and  when  I  asked  them  to  stop,  they 
made  up  faces  at  me,  and  they  called  me  '  cry-baby  cupsey. '  " 

"  Upon  my  word,  Cicely,  you  come  out  strong  in  your  new 
vocation.  I'm  not  sure  a  hospital  would  not  be  your  true 
sphere,"  remarked  Perdita. 

"  I  don't  care.  It  wasn't  any  fun  to  sit  still  and  do  nothing  ; 
and  Randy  was  so  cross  and  pokey,  he  said  he  wished  I'd 
stayed  at  home.  I  don't  want  to  nurse  him  any  more." 

"  \frs.  Slaughton,"  whispered  the  sick  lad,  as  she  was  taking 
leave  of  him,  careful  to  send  Cicely  on  before  her,  "will  Dolly 
come  to  see  me,  do  you  suppose  ?  I  love  Dolly;  she  is  so  dear, 
and  so  nice,  and  so  handsome.  Will  you  ask  her  ?  " 

"  Indeed  I  will,  Randy.  I  know  she  will  be  glad  to  visit  you  ; 
and  she  will  read  to  you,  and  take  care  of  you.  Dolly  can  be 
very  pleasant  in  a  sick-room  ;  she  has  a  kind  heart.  I'll  tell 
her  to  bring  down  the  dominoes  she  got  for  Christmas,  and 
show  you  how  to  play ;  that  will  amuse  you,  won't  it?" 


432  "For  Thee  was  a  House  Made." 

"  If  I  can  lie  still  and  look  at  Dolly,  I  shall  be  content," 
answered  the  lad  with  a  satisfied  smile. 

So,  in  the  old  cottage  under  the  hill,  red  cheeked  Dolly  did 
her  first  bit  of  mission-work,  and  she  did  it  well,  for  her  charge 
slowly  recovered.  Whether  the  working  in  her  life  with  his,  as 
she  did  day  after  day,  was  a  good  thing  for  her  patient,  is  a 
point  which  we  will  debate  some  other  time,  when  we  have  got 
all  the  bearings  of  the  case.  He  got  up  quite  well  and  strong, 
at  any  rate,  with  his  soul  full  of  new  impulses,  and  his  mind 
stirring  with  new  ambitions. 

At  the  spring  examination  of  the  district  school  in  Blithebeck 
Centre,  Randy  Teazle  shone  so  brightly  in  geography  and  arith 
metic  as  to  receive  honorable  mention  from  the  committee,  and 
a  new  silver  dollar  with  a  hole  in  it  as  a  medal,  which  adorn 
ment  he  wore  with  more  honest  pride  than  any  knight  ever 
felt  in  his  crosses  or  garters. 

Before  he  left  his  bed,  Cicely  came  to  Perdita,  her  face 
crimson  with  excitement  and  pleasure. 

"  Randy  is  worse  to-day,  aunty,"  exclaimed  she.  "  If  he 
dies  may  I  have  on  my  best  black  clothes,  that  I  wore  to  grand 
ma's  burying,  and  go  to  his  funeral  ?  Black  is  very  becoming 
to  me  ;  the  dressmaker  said  so." 

The  second  event  of  the  winter  was  one  which  wrought  a 
radical  change  in  the  Parson's  family. 

An  old  uncle  died  and  left  Mrs.  Hethwaite  a  legacy,  which 
was  to  her  a  large  fortune.  She  received  the  news  with  a  burst 
of  joy  and  gratitude,  and  carried  it  to  her  husband. 

"There,  David  !    It  is  all  yours  ;    do  with  it  as  you  will." 

Strangely  enough,  the  words  were  the  very  same  she  had  used 
when  she  bestowed  upon  him  her  bank  stock,  soon  after  her 
marriage.  He  needed  a  minister's  library,  and  suggested  that 
her  money  might  buy  it ;  trustingly  and  meekly  she  resigned  her 
all  in  his  hands,  saying  : 

"Take  it,  David  !     It  is  yours  !  do  with  it  as  you  will." 

Perhaps  something  in   her    voice    or    manner   kindled  his 


"For  Thee  was  a  House  Made."  433 

memory,  so  that  the  coincidence  struck  him.  He  brooded  over 
it,  and  it  rankled,  till  he  tortured  her  goodness  into  a  taunt — a 
fling  at  his  incompetency. 

Since  that  day  of  amazing  confession  and  contrition,  the  old 
man  had  been  gradually  and  surely  settling  into  a  state  of  mor 
bid  moroseness.  He  never  resumed  his  former  high-mighti 
ness  of  behavior  towards  his  family,  but  he  was  sourer  if  possible 
than  before — more  bitter,  and  he  became  suspicious  of  them.  If 
they  spoke  low,  they  were  discussing  him  ;  if  they  laughed,  they 
v.  ere  ridiculing  him  ;  and  he  would  fly  into  a  sudden  and  most 
unseemly  rage,  and  storm  and  scold,  belaboring  the  one  who 
happened  to  be  nearest  him  with  violent,  sarcastic  abuse, 
bringing  into  use  sundry  words  which  had  long  been  vanished 
from  his  vocabulary. 

He  would  shut  himself  up  whole  days,  refusing  to  see  any 
body.  If  he  fell  asleep  in  his  chair  of  an  evening,  they  found 
it  best  to  let  him  alone,  for  when  they  awakened  him  he  was 
furious  enough  to  drive  them  all  crazy.  For  weeks  at  a  time 
they  carried  his  food  to  his  study,  and  left  it  there,  to  be  de 
voured  in  solitude. 

He  was  already  far  gone  in  this  state  when  the  fortune  came. 
There  was  a  terrible  scene  that  day  in  the  old  parsonage,  and 
he  never  spoke  a  pleasant  word,  even  to  his  wife,  again,  and 
obstinately  refused  to  touch  or  taste  any  of  the  luxuries  purchased 
•with  the  money.  He  would  have  hindered  the  others  from  en 
joying  the  good  things ;  but  Mrs.  Slaughton  set  his  conduct 
before  him  in  a  strong  light.  After  that  he  was  doggedly  silent 
in  her  presence,  and  paid  no  more  attention  to  what  was  tran 
spiring  around  him. 

In  February  he  was  taken  seriously  ill.  When  the  doctor 
arrived,  he  insisted  on  knowing  his  opinion  of  his  case.  Very 
reluctantly  the  doctor  answered  his  close  questions ;  but  he 
finally  wormed  out  the  verdict  that  his  life  was  only  a  question 
of  vitality  and  endurance.  The  next  day  he  called  the  other 
physician,  who  tacitly  confirmed  his  medical  brother's  statement. 
19 


434  "For  Thee  was  a  House  Made." 

From  that  time  he  refused  all  nourishment,  and  shut  his  lips  in 
persevering  silence. 

When  the  fatal  moment  approached,  he  watched  his  nails 
growing  purple,  as  the  life-current  flowed  more  and  more 
feebly,  and  wiped  the  death-damp  from  his  forehead,  and  turn 
ing  his  face  away  from  them  all,  he  closed  his  eyes  and  breathed 
his  last  without  a  farewell,  even  to  the  wife  of  his  youth. 

Poor  Mrs.  Hethwaite  wept  some  natural  tears  over  his  body, 
and  felt  that  she  ought  to  be  sorry  for  his  loss.     She  stn: 
against  the  sense  of  relief  which  would  possess  her,  as  . 
a  sin.     She  sat  alone  with  his  corpse,  trying  to  recall  all  his 
generous  actions,  conscientiously  endeavoring  to  bring  back  the 
love  she  had  felt  for  her  young  minister.     Uut  it  was  of  no  use  ; 
her  trials  and  crosses  and  hardships  under  his  dominion  were 
and  would  be  paramount. 

When  he  was  laid  in  his  grave,  and  she  was  free  to  plan  and 
work,  to  come  and  go,  and  order  her  life,  to  embellish  it,  even, 
without  any  more  dread,  any  more  mortifications,  any  more  se 
cret  tears,  she  began  to  grow  fresher  and  brighter,  her  face 
rounded,  and  the  light  came  back  to  her  eyes,  and  Violet  Heth 
waite  smiled  almost  as  often  and  as  pleasantly  upon  her  children 
as  Violet  Wemple  had  done  upon  her  lover. 

She  religiously  visited  his  grave,  and  made  it  a  duty  to  pray 
over  the  mound  ;  and  she  returned  home  afterwards  with  brisk 
step,  and  full  of  the  new  life  which  was  spreading  and  blooming 
before  her. 

Ease,  plenty,  and  comfort  for  her  old  age  !  Her  sun  was 
setting  with  mild  radiance.  Every  day  she  had  moments  of 
trying  not  to  be  too  peaceful  and  happy,  knowing  in  her  secret 
soul  that  her  life-trouble  was  turning  to  dust,  and  worms  were 
devouring  his  body. 


"She  Will,  You  May  Depend  Ou't."  435 

CHAPTER   LXV. 

"  WHEN    SHE    WILL,    SHE    WILL,    YOU    MAY    DEPEND    ON'l." 


R.  and  Mrs.  Philip  Penhurst  went  up  to 
Roaring  River  to  celebrate  the  anniver 
sary  of  their  wedding-day,  a  festivity 
which  occurred,  you  may  remember,  in 
the  month  of  March. 

All  the  dearest  companions  of  Sabri- 
na's  youth  being  gathered  together,  she 
had  a  very  delightful  week.  Of  course 
she  met  Chandos  Goldsmith,  and  of  course,  also,  they  talked  of 
their  mutual  friend,  Samuel  Slaughton.  Sabrina  listened  atten 
tively  to  all  she  heard,  and  then  she  fell  into  deep  meditation. 
"  .And  you  say  he  left  Toptown  hurriedly  ?  " 
"  Hurriedly  ?  I  should  say  so  !  And  the  most  mysterious 
tiling  altogether,  Sam  sat  with  me  one  night  till  nearly  morning 
talking  about  his  wife.  You  know  how  queerly  they  were  mar 
ried  ?  Well,  I  happened  to  be  in  his  house  when  he  brought 
home  his  bride,  and  I  was  struck  with  her  beauty,  and  I  stayed 
long  enough  with  them  to  find  out  that  she  had  plenty  of  attrac 
tions,  mental  and  spiritual,  and  I  told  Sam  he  was  dead  sure  to 
fall  in  love  with  the  girl.  She  was  such  a  rare  creature,  every 
way — uncommon,  I  assure  you.  Why,  if  I  had  not  been  head 
and  ears  with  my  Bertha,  I  shouldn't  have  escaped,  myself! 
Well,  Sabrina,  all  the  while  he  was  running  on,  rhapsodizing  in 
such  high  style,  I  was  chuckling  over  my  sharpness.  I  had  to 
bite  my  tongue  to  keep  it  from  telling  him  '  I  told  you  so  ! ' 
You  never  saw  such  a  mad  lover  !  " 

"  I  saw  //////  that  very  time,"  replied  Sabrina,  smiling.     "  He 
opened  his  heart  to  me.     It  did  me  a  world  of  good  to  hear 


436  "S/ie  Will,  You  May  Depend  On't." 

him  talk  ;  I  felt  so  very  happy  in  the  happiness  of  my  old 
friend." 

"  Indeed  !  Well,  now,  listen.  The  very  next  day,  as  I  was 
going  up  the  hotel  steps,  whom  should  I  meet  but  Mrs.  Slaugh- 
ton  coming  down.  She  had  a  travelling-bag  on  her  arm,  and 
I  was  struck  at  once  with  her  woful  face.  I  stopped  to  shake 
hands  and  say  a  few  little  things  ;  but  she  could  hardly  speak, 
and  she  positively  declined  to  let  me  accompany  her  to  the  sta 
tion — said  she  had  rather  go  alone.  I  never  was  so  snubbed  in 
all  my  life  !  I  wilted  like  a  cabbage-plant  in  the  hot  sun,  and 
I  positively  came  as  near  sneaking  off  as  a  man  of  my  figure 
and  carriage  could,  under  the  look  she  burned  into  me  when  I 
inquired  where  1  could  find  Sam.  While  I  was  looking  after 
her,  Otho  came  up,  and  I  had  to  go  down  to  the  Medical  Col- 
\  ith  him,  so  that  I  didn't  get  back  to  the  hotel  till  night, 
and  Sam  was  gone.  You  know  the  rest :  how  he  sailed  for 
Europe  without  a  good-by  to  anybody,  and  nothing  has  since 
been  heard  from  him.  I  get  news  once  in  a  while  from  Hlithe- 
beck  in  a  roundabout  way.  I  know  his  wife  is  there  ;  but  I 
have  not  felt  like  intruding  on  the  strict  privacy  she  maintains 
among  the  children." 

"  Chandos  !  "  exclaimed  Sabrina,  "  I  understand  it  all.  I  -.u\ 
that  girl  !  I  know  I  did  !  J  feel  it  !  I  was  advising  with  Sun 
about  poor  Cousin  Phil.  You  know  he  had  trouble  with  his 
wife,  and  was  getting  a  divorce  from  her.  Sam  advocated  his 
doing  so,  and  talked  very  earnestly  ;  we  sat  close  together  in 
the  corridor.  She  was  jealous  of  me !  We  must  have  looked 
mighty  confidential.  You  know  Sam's  fashion  with  those  he 
is  fond  of.  I  can  recall  the  strange  glance  she  gave  me,  full  ot 
glowing  fire,  and  proud,  indignant,  sorrowful  anger.  1  re 
member  I  was  minded  to  call  Sam's  attention  to  the  beautiful 
fury  behind  us  ;  but  before  he  came  to  a  pause  she  was  gone. 
Chandos,  I  have  something  to  do  in  this  business.  I'm  going 
over  to  Blithebeck  before  I  return  to  Canadasset." 

«'  I  believe  you  are  right,  Sabrina,"  replied  Chandy,  musing. 


"S/ie  Will,  You  May  Depend  On  t."  437 

"Sam  had  the  Ruth  he  painted  from  your  sittings  up  at  Cragen- 
fels,  in  his  studio ;  and  stay  !  Yes,  it  is  as  clear  as  moonshine. 
She  overheard  a  rhapsody  about  you,  which  Sam  was  fool 
enough  to  pour  forth  on  his  wedding-day,  which  it  was  impossi 
ble  she  could  ever  forget.  In  fact,  he  told  me,^with  the  queer 
est  sort  efface,  how  he  had  been  made  to  pay  for  his  incautious 
words;  how  she  had  tossed  them  back  at  him;  and  how  re 
splendent  she  had  been  while  she  did  so  ;  how  bewildering  !  " 

"  Pooh  !  "  said  Mrs.  Penhurst,  loftily.  "  Sam's  little  non 
sense  over  me  died  a  natural  death  long  ago — a  mere  fancy." 

"It  is  dead  now,  at  any  rate ;  his  wife  fills  the  bill  at  pres 
ent.  I  wish  to  gracious  he  would  come  home  and  mind  his 
business." 

Mrs.  Penhurst  carried  out  her  intention  of  visiting  the  re 
cluse.  Her  husband  did  not  enter  heartily  into  the  project ; 
he  rather  considered  it  impossible  romance,  and,  to  speak 
plainly,  "  none  of  their  business." 

For  one  less  self-centered,  straightforward  and  candid  than 
Sabrina,  it  would  have  been  a  difficult  undertaking  to  bring  to 
a  successful  issue.  It  needed  a  good  deal  of  right-minded 
earnestness,  as  well  as  tact,  to  force  herself  into  the  presence  of 
a  deserted  wife,  believing  herself  the  cause  of  the  husband's 
defection,  knowing  beforehand  how  proud  and  shy  and  re 
served  the  poor  girl  was  to  all  strangers,  and  how  bitter  and 
angry  she  might  be  with  her. 

But  she  dashed  fearlessly  into  her  mission,  forgetful  of  self, 
thinking  only  of  the  best  interests  of  two  noble  natures  so 
unhappily  sundered. 

IVrdita  was  busy  in  her  conservatory,  when  Hannah  came  to 
tell  her  a  lady  waited  in  the  parlor,  who  desired  to  see  her  on 
business. 

She  had  just  finished  cutting  a  bunch  of  roses,  and  she 
approached  with  them  in  her  hand.  Her  long,  jetty  braids 
were  fastened  with  their  crimson  ribbons  ;  her  dress  was  short 
and  siinple.  (She  had  always  shrunk  from  making  any  change 


438  "  She  Will,   You  May  Depend  Ont" 

in  it,  clinging  to  the  fashion  she  brought  with  her  to  the 
mansion  house,  and  which  had  been  hers  through  her  short  life 
in  the  companionship  of  her  husband.  The  black  robes  which 
she  was  obliged  to  don  for  the  dame's  funeral  were  immediately 
laid  aside  after  it  was  over  ;  and  her  isolated  life  did  not  make 
it  necessary  for  her  to  resume  them  when  her  father  died. 
There  was  a  lilac  muslin  folded  in  her  chest  upstairs  which  she 
sometimes  dreamed  over,  and  which  she  felt  it  possible  she 
might  yet  assume  ;  but  this  was  a  rare  dream,  when  youth  and 
love  and  hope  would  get  the  mastery,  and  it  always  ended  in 
tears  of  despair.)  As  she  stepped  forward,  her  visitor  n< 
the  low  shoes  and  red  stockings  and  the  remarkably  pretty  feet 
Chandy  had  described  to  her. 

The  regular  life  and  constant  occupation  of  the  recluse  kept 
her  health  perfect,  notwithstanding  her  trials  ;  but  though  the 
bloom  of  her  face  was  resplendent,  her  eyes  looked  sorrowful, 
and  she  had  taken  a  habit  of  half  veiling  them  beneath  their 
long  lashes,  as  if  the  world  held  nothing  worth  looking  at.  So 
that  the  sudden  start,  the  vivid  blush  which  swept  into  her 
cheeks,  and  the  dazzling  light  which  flooded  those  wonderful 
,\  hen  she  opened  them  full  on  her  visitor,  almost  electrified 
her,  and  it  was  half  a  moment  before  she  found  a  word  t  <> 

Once  entered  on  her  business,  however,  she  pushed  right 
forward  from  point  to  point  in  a  clear,  decided,  honest  way, 
which  carried  conviction  with  her. 

What  ever-varying  emotions  they  were  which  played  over  the 
expressive  countenance  of  the  listener,  and  what  a  look  it  was 
which  Sabrinagot  when  she  finished  ! — perfect  trust,  unwavering 
confidence  ;  and  all  unused  and  unskilled  as  was  Perdita  in 
concealments,  she  never  thought  of  trying  to  hide  the  joy  which 
enveloped  her  like  an  atmosphere  when  she  once  more  knew 
her  husband  for  a  true  man. 

Hut  when  Sabrina  proposed  that  she  should  write  and  recall 
him,  or  at  least  let  him  know  how  she  had  found  out  her  mis 
take,  she  turned  proud  and  firm  in  an  instant. 


"She  Will,  You  May  Depend  On  f."  439 

"  No  !  "  said  she,  "  he  weakly  forsook  the  plain  path  of  his 
duty ;  he  adopted  his  usual  habit  of  letting  things  arrange  them 
selves.  He  is  my  husband.  He  ought  to  have  remained  at 
home  ;  he  ought  to  have  made  me  understand  him,  and  insist 
ed  on  my  obedience,  duty,  and  respect.  He  ought  to  have 
told  me  he  loved  me.  I  shall  not  take  a  step  towards  him  ;  it 
is  his  business  to  come  back  to  me.  I  have  not  deserted  him  ; 
he  lias  deserted  me  !  " 

"  But  did  not  you  speak  some  unpleasant  words  to  him  ?  " 

"  Yes,  I  did  ;  but  what  are  woman's  words  to  man's  strength  ? 
I  should  have  as  easily  turned  towards  him  as  the  Clyde  turns 
to  her  sun-god,  if  he  had  taken  the  trouble  to  talk  and  explain." 

"But  you  forget  he  Avas  shrouded  in  a  maze  of  doubt.  He 
did  not  in  the  least  understand  why  you  flouted  him  so  dread 
fully,  when  he  was  full  of  fondness  for  you." 

"  I  asked  him  if  he  had  ever  made  love  to  any  woman  since 
he  married  me,  and  he  said  '  No  ! '  I  should  suppose  he  would 
have  recalled  his  talk  with  you  such  a  short  while  before.  I 
should  think  he  must  have  read  what  was  in  my  mind." 

"  But  he  did  not  make  love  to  me,"  answered  Sabrina,  smil 
ing.  "  He  magnified  the  perfections  of  his  wife  to  his  old 
friend,  who  was  delighted  with  his  enthusiasm." 

"  Quite  true,"  replied  Perdita,  dryly  ;  "  but  you  must  recol 
lect  how  I  had  heard  him  enthuse  over  the  very  lady  to  whom 
he  was  talking,  and  you  will  not  wonder  at  my  error." 

"  But  that  was  boyish  nonsense." 

"  I  hope  it  was — I  believe  he  loved  me  when  he  left  me." 

"  Besides,  he  had  a  confidential  conversation  with  Chandos 
Goldsmith  after  I  left  him ;  they  sat  up  till  nearly  morning." 

"Oh  !  "  said  Perdita,  "  indeed  !" 

It  was  of  no  use,  she  could  not,  would  not  try  to  get  back 
her  rover,  though  she  shyly  owned  that  she  should  rejoice  to 
see  his  face  again  ;  and  therefore  Mrs.  Penhurst  took  a  fresh 
resolution,  which  she  lost  no  time  in  carrying  out  as  soon  as 
she  returned  to  Canadasset.  She  wrote  a  letter,  copies  of 


440  Cicely  Vance  Finds  Her  Vocation. 

which  she  dispatched  to  all  the  principal  banking  houses  of 
Furope,  hoping  that  some  one  of  them  might  reach  the  wan 
derer  and  bring  him  home. 


CHAPTER  LXVI. 

CICELY   VANCE    FINDS    HER   VOCATION. 

[PRING  opened  early  that  year,  and  by 
the  middle  of  April  the  leaves  began  to 
shoot,  and  the  roads  were  quite  settled. 

The  children  were  full  of  exciteim-nt. 
A  grand  menagerie  and  circus  was  coin 
ing  to  Blithebeck  village,  which  they  were 
all  eagerness  to  attend. 

Fortunately,  Malcolm  was  home  on  a 

visit,  and  volunteered  to  lake  care  of  the  party  ;  and  Mrs. 
Richard  Pritchard  begged  an  invitation  to  stop  all  night  at  the 
mansion  house,  so  that  her  young  ones  could  partake  the  won 
derful  pleasure.  Perdita  was  as  flushed  and  animated  as  the 
children  ;  the  real  live  beasts,  the  vaulting  and  the  riding,  were 
as  wondrous  to  her  as  to  them. 

When  it  was  over  and  the  party  were  ready  to  go  home,  Ci 
cely  was  nowhere  to  be  found.  After  much  search  she  was  dis 
covered  behind  one  of  the  booths,  with  the  clown  and  the  bare 
back  rider,  giggling  and  chatting,  all  alive  with  antics  and  ex 
citement,  her  face  as  gorgeous  as  a  carnation,  her  blu< 
blazing  and  her  curls  flying,  as  she  danced  and  flitted  about, 
encouraged  by  the  applause  of  her  audience. 

"My  gracious!"  exclaimed   Malcolm,  much  put  out  by  the 
heat  of  the  hunt  and  the  delay,  "  I   should  think  that  girl  had 


Cicely  Vance  Finds  Her  Vocation.  441 

i  better  go  along  with  the  gang  at  once.  What  a  lot  of  shapes 
she  can  put  her  broom-sticks  into  ! " 

The  next  morning  Cicely  got  leave  to  ride  down  to  Blithe- 
beck  village  with  Stephen,  who  was  sent  for  groceries.  While 
he  was  busy  about  his  errands,  he  heard  the  circus  band,  who 
were  advertising  their  entertainment  through  the  streets,  and 
feeling  uncertain  of  his  horses  (he  had  left  them  hitched,  and 
had  entreated  Miss  Cicely  to  remain  in  the  wagon  and  keep 
quiet),  he  made  haste  back.  The  horses  were  all  right ;  but 
Cicely  had  disappeared. 

She  was  not  able  to  resist  the  music,  and  the  clatter,  and 
had  slipped  away  to  take  just  one  look  at  the  flags  and  the 
gilded  wagon,  and  the  gold-laced  jackets  of  the  band,  and  so 
had  followed  the  crowd  quite  to  the  tents.  There  she  found 
her  friend,  the  bold-faced  clown,  and  the  trainer,  who  winked 
at  each  other  and  exchanged  a  few  low-voiced  words,  as  soon 
as  they  espied  her ;  and  then  Mr.  Clown,  who  was  a  rosy- 
cheeked,  merry-looking  fellow  enough,  quite  calculated  to  take 
the  fancy  of  such  a  girl  as  Cicely  Vance,  went  up  and  said  how 
pleased  and  proud  he  was  to  see  the  handsome  little  lady 
again,  and  offered  her  tickets  for  the  show. 

Of  course  she  heedlessly  accepted,  unmindful  of  consequen 
ces;  and  the  result  was  she  was  easily  cajoled  into  joining  the 
company,  her  head  being  full  of  the  spangles  and  finery  of  the 
riders.  Such  dresses  and  such  a  gay  life  seemed  absolute 
bliss,  especially  when  Mr.  Clown  treated  her  to  a  paper  of  can 
dies  and  a  couple  of  glasses  of  ginger-pop  ;  and  her  bright  com 
plexion  and  agile  movements  made  her  a  desirable  prey. 
She  told  them  she  had  no  father  or  mother,  nor  much  of  any 
friends — only  a  cross  old  aunt,  whom  she  hated ;  and  she 
promised  to  steal  away  the  next  night,  and  she  exulted  in  the 
assurance  given  her  by  tho  trainer,  that  she  should  have  a  fine 
new  name,  and  he  would  teach  her  to  be  the  best  bareback 
rider  in  the  known  world. 

She  ran  as  fast  as  she  could  after  parting  with  her  fascinating 


442  Cicely  Vance  Finds  Her  Vocation. 

new  friends,  and  Stephen  found  her  at  last  sitting  on  the  steps 
of  a  church.  She  told  him  she  had  been  inMde  hearing  mass, 
which  was  only  just  over.  He  grumbled  a  good  deal  over  the 
trouble  she  gave  him  ;  but  lie  was  in  such  fume  and  hurry  to 
get  home,  that  he  gave  little  heed  to  her  talk,  and  nothing  was 
said  about  it  after  their  return. 

All  that  day  she  carried  about  with  her  the  secret  of  her 
intended  flight. 

The  next  morning  Hannah  came  to  her  mistress  with  a  dis 
turbed  countenance. 

"I  hate  to  complain  of  Miss  Cicely,  ma'am,  but  I  had  seven 

dollars  in  my  wallet,  and  I  am  afraid  she's  took  'em.     She  was 

in  my  room   yesterday  afternoon,  when  t  was  looking  over  my 

things,  and  she  saw  my  money,  and  got  it  into  her  hands  ;  she 

rd  me  to  let  her  comSt  it.     She  is  always  poking  her  nose 

everywhere — a  meddlesome  plague  as  ever  lived.     This  morn- 

i  found  my  old  wallet  empty,  anil  tossed  under  the  bed." 

"How  very  shocking,  Hannah!  I  do  hope  you  are  mis 
taken  : " 

"  I'm  not,  then,  ma'am  !  "  replied  the  maid  positively.  "  It 
was  there;  it  isn't  there  now;  that  girl  has  got  it." 

"  Tell  Cicely  to  come  to  me  directly,  Hannah." 

Pretty  soon  the  servant  hurried  back.  "  She  hain't  in  her 
room,  .Miss  Perdita;  her  best  dress,  and  all  her  sashes,  and 
trinkets,  are  gone  too ;  her  bed  is  touzled,  but  I  don't  believe 
she  lay  in  it  at  all  ! " 

Terror  and  confusion  filled  the  house.  Perdita  started  imme 
diately  for  the  station. 

"  Yes,"  said  the  ticket  man  in  answer  to  her  inquiries.  "  Oh, 
yes ;  the  young  miss  bought  a  ticket  for  Toptown  on  the  early 
train  this  morning." 

She  followed  thither  ;  but,  though  assisted  by  Malcolm  and 
the  police,  they  failed  to  find  any  further  traces  of  the  fugitive. 
Those  who  had  her  in  charge  understood  their  business  too 
well. 


Cincinnatus  Returns  to  His  Plough. 


443 


It  was  a  fearful  experience  for  Perdita,  and  helped  to  sadden 
her  days.  Oh  !  how  desperately,  then,  she  bewailed  the  hard 
fate  which  had  set  her  alone  with  such  a  responsibility,  and 
apart  from  her  natural  support  and  counsellor. 


CHAPTER  LXVII. 

CINCINNATUS    RETURNS   TO    HIS    PLOUGH. 


R.  SAMUEL  SLAUGHTON,  a  passen 
ger  of  the  steamship  Restless,  was  very 
ill  on  the  voyage,  and  was  carried  on  a 
bed  up  to  the  hotel  in  Liverpool,  where 
he  lay  for  weeks  betwixt  life  and  death. 
His  nervous  system  was  completely  dis 
ordered,  and  the  strangers  around  him 
considered  him  doomed. 

His  good  constitution  prevailed,  however,  and  he  arose  at 
length  ;  but  such  a  ghastly,  pale,  emaciated  wreck  of  himself^ 
that  his  best  friend  would  not  have  recognized  him.  His  head 
had  been  shaved  in  the  access  of  his  fever,  and  his  flowing 
beard  and  mustache  were  gone,  his  eye's  fire  was  burned  out, 
and  his  step  was  as  feeble  and  tottering  as  the  gait  of  age. 

The  first  place  he  visited  on  getting  out  was  his  banker's,  in 
the  dim  hope  of  finding  letters.  Of  course  there  were  none, 
and  being  interested  in  nothing,  he  drifted  aimlessly  towards  the 
south,  so  that  autumn  found  him  settled  at  Rome — if  it  could  be 
called  settling  to  forever  roam  about  without  object,  sitting  on 
old  palace-steps,  hovering  around  churches,  loitering  in  hotels, 
and  walking  miles  and  miles  only  to  retrace  his  profitless  wan 
derings  when  half  dead  of  fatigue  and  ennui. 


444  Cincinnatus  Returns  to  His  Plough, 

At  length  he  took  a  studio,  and  began  to  paint.  Always 
brooding  over  one  face,  he  repeated  its  features  in  every  pic 
ture  he  made,  Madonnas  or  Magdalenes,  again  and  a^ain 
Perdite. 

When  the  Italian  sun  began  to  pour  down  its  summer  beams, 
and  lassitude  and  languor  prostrated  him,  he  experienced  in 
tense  home-sickness.  As  soon  as  the  necessity  of  moving 
forced  itself  upon  him,  a  vision  of  his  native  hills  arose  con 
tinually  before  his  imagination — their  green  pines,  spicy  hem 
locks,  cool  water-brooks.  He  saw  the  old  mill  where  he  had 
given  Scamp  to  Perdita,  the  wood  where  she  had  cooked  the 
fish,  the  shady  lanes  and  grassy  roads  where  he  had  ridden  by 
her  side  ;  even  the  calf-pen  under  the  great,  spreading  apple- 
tree,  where  they  had  taken  shelter  from  the  infuriated  bull — and 
he  longed  to  go  home. 

Once  the  idea  was  admitted  among  his  reflections  as  a  i 
bility,  it  became  a  necessity — immediate,  arbitrary,  absorbing, 
which  hurried  his  preparations  and  sent  him  Hying  by  the  swift 
est  route. 

At  whatever  cost,  under  whatever  hindrances  or  obstacles, 
he  must  have  his  wife  ;  and  before  long  it  became,  "  I  will  have 
her.  She  shall  listen  to  me  !  She  shall  love  me  !  "  Then 
Mr.  Samuel  Slaughton's  face  looked  strong  and  earnest,  able 
to  conquer  and  keep. 


' '  God  send  us  Pleasant  Dreams. ' '  445 


CHAPTER  LXVIII. 

"  God  send  us  pleasant  dreams, 
And  make  them  all  come  true." 


UT  of  the  morning  land  the  royal  sun-god 
approached  with  stately  steps,  and  the  low 
ly  earth  blushed  beneath  his  ardent  gaze. 
He  darted  his  bright  rays  upon  the  hill 
tops,  which  glowed  crimson,  he  touched 
the  leaves  into  glory,  illumined  the  lakes, 
glinted  in  the  water-brooks,  kissed  into 
bloom  all  the  flowers  in  Perdita's  garden, 

and  sent  an  arrowy  beam  upon  the  young  girl-wife's  eye-lids 
and  a  dream  of  hope  into  her  heart,  which  so  warmed  and 
cheered  it  that  she  awoke  with  a  smile  on  her  red  lips,  and  a 
sweet,  pleasant  thought  of  her  rover,  so  interesting  and  inspir 
ing  that  she  watched  and  courted  and  cuddled  it,  and  hated 
to  let  it  go. 

"  I  believe  he  has  been  near  me  in  that  land  where  soul 
meets  soul,"  said  she,  half  aloud.  "  Ah  !  if  he  might  but  come 
once  more  in  real  presence." 

She  sprang  up  eagerly  ;  she  felt  an  exaltation,  abuoyancy  of 
spirit  which  sent  the  blood  leaping  joyously  through  her  veins 
— an  undefined  but  sufficient  expectation  of  a  good  to  come, 
worth  the  effort  of  living  her  life  in  the  best  and  fullest  manner. 
She  had  a  busy  day  before  her,  too.  Mrs.  Richard  Pritch- 
ard,  who  would  persist  in  dropping  in  occasionally,  though  with 
out  much  encouragement,  had  sent  over  word  that  she  and  the 
children  were  coming  to  tea,  which  of  course  meant  to  spend 
the  night,  and  it  was  more  than  likely  that  the  Brandcgees  would 
accompany  them. 


446        Jlfr.  S/ang/iton  Dsc/iiics  to  Piny  the  Fool. 

Teddy  and  Malcolm  were  at  home,  and  their  sifter  meant  to 
ill  iu-r  f.miily  up  for  the  evening;  and  while  she  hurried 
her  preparations,  .-,he  ran  up  and  down  the  house  humming  a 
certain  reel  she  was  fond  of,  and  which  seemed  to  bring  with  it 
many  pleasant  associations,  for  she  stopped  working  twice  or 
thrice  and  laughed  aloud. 


CHAPTER  LXIX. 

MR.  SLAUGHTON   DECLINES   TO   PLAY   THE    FOOL. 

|HEN  our  traveller  descended  from  the  cab 
at  the  St.  James,  the  first  person  he  saw 
in  the  office  was  Chaiulos  (loUlsmith,  and 
he  made  great  haste  to  get  to  his  private 
room,  that  he  might  receive  the  latest 
news  of  his  home. 

"  I  rather  dread  the  first  meeting,"  said 
he  ruefully,  after  the  breathless  silence  in 

which  he  had  drank  in  all  his  friend  had  to  impart.  '•  I  feel 
tremendously  foolish,  now  that  I  am  so  near  meeting  poor 
Perdita.  She  can  set  a  fellow  down  so  sharp  ;  and  of  ( 
she  is  indignant  at  me — how  can  she  help  it?  Lord!  1  wi>h 
over,  and  I  was  smoking  my  pipe  by  that  wood  the  she 
fixed  up  for  me.  Oh  !  you  needn't  laugh,  Chandy  !  I  was  not 
born  with  your  impudence.  You'd  squirm  right  into  the  right 
spot,  say  the  right  thing,  and  make  a  success  out  of  tin's  fix. 
But  I'm  such  a  slow  chap." 

"  It  is  lucky  that  you  are  not  likely  to  go  by  the  historical 
axiom  that  dark-skinned  races  are  only  fit  for  military  govern 
ment,  and  attempt  to  rule  your  high-spirited  wife  by  the  strong 
hand  of  power." 


Mr.  Slaughton  Declines  to  Play  the  Fool.       447 

"  Rule  her !     Rule  Perdita  ! " 

"  Why  don't  you  begin  by  serenading  her  first — a  very  excel 
lent,  good,  conceited  thing,  after  a  wonderful  sweet  air,  with 
admirable  words  to  it,  and  then  let  her  consider?" 

"  Humph  !  you  must  take  me  for  a  conceited  thing  !  " 

"  I've  hit  it,  Sam  !  I've  hit  the  very  thing  !  "  exclaimed  his 
friend  ;  "  the  precise  idea.  Save  all  demonstrations  and  ex 
planations,  you  know  !  Open  the  door  for  your  easy  entrance 
like  a  blast  of  wind,  and  in  you  go  !  You  must  carry  the  fort 
by  stratagem,"  continued  he,  sinking  his  voice  to  a  whisper,  and 
drawing  up  close  enough  to  the  traveller  to  pat  his  knee  and 
look  in  his  eyes.  "  Do  something  funny  !  something  to  make 
her  laugh  !  " 

"  Something  funny  ? "  replied  Sam,  with  a  ghastly  smile. 
"  Something  funny  !  when  you  haven't  seen  your  wife  for  a 
whole  year,  haven't  written  her  a  word  ;  when  you  parted  from 
her  in  such  a  spirit  that  you  did  not  suppose  it  possible  that  you 
could  ever  look  in  her  face  again.  Something  funny  ! " 

"  It  is  your  best  card,  however,"  persisted  Chandos.  "  Lis 
ten  now,  till  I  tell  you,"  he  went  on,  volubly  unfolding  his 
idea,  dressing  it  up  with  his  best  skill.  "  You  may  as  well 
make  a  frolic  of  your  return,  if  you  don't  want  some  terrific 
scenes.  I  assure  you  it  will  be  a  perfect  success ;  you  will 
carry  off  the  situation  with  a  laugh,  and  save  yourself  a  vast 
deal  of  heart-rending  excitement." 

"  I  won't,  Chandos.     I  won't  make  a  fool  of  myself !  " 

"  Of  course  not,  Sam  !  "  replied  Chandy,  who  was  project 
ing  a  good  time  for  somebody,  certainly.  "I  am  to  go  with 
you,  you  know,  and  help  you  out.  It  '11  be  a  capital  thing  ; 
she'll  like  it,  you'll  see  she  will.  She  has  excellent  sense,  and 
she  will  thank  you  for  sparing  her  a  trial  full  of  vows  and  tears 
and  repentings,  and  you  can  just  sail  right  in  and  carry  matters 
witli  a  high  hand  ;  and  what  between  surprise  at  your  audacity 
and  joy  to  get  you  safe  back,  you'll  find  it  will  end  in  a  grand 
feu  dc  joic  and  a  royal  good  time.  Take  your  choice,  Sam- 


448 


A  Posse  Ad  Esse. 


uel  J  follow  my  advice,  or  give  her  the  whip  hand  of  you  by 
asking,  begging  to  be  received  into  your  own  house  by  your 
own  wife." 

I  suppose  there  never  lived  a  man  who  could  be  so  easily  led 
by  his  friends  as  Samuel  Slaughton,  especially  when  the  alter 
native  forced  him  to  face  a  disagreeably  obstinate  fact.  There 
was  no  getting  around  the  certainty  that  he  must  make  his 
peace  with  Perdita.  Therefore  he  was  unwillingly  willing  to 
permit  Chandy  Goldsmith  to  help  him,  and  glad  to  get  all  the 
comfort  to  be  found  in  talking  over  probabilities  and  particulars 
in  the  interim. 


CHAPTER   LXX. 

A   POSSE   AD   ESSE. 


T  was  a  warm  evening  in  July,  when  two 
gentlemen  got  out  of  a  Toptown  car  at 
ttlithebeck,  and  started  on  the  two-mile 
walk  up  the  hill ;  and  twilight  had  fallen, 
and  the  stars  were  out,  before  they 
reached  the  mansion  house. 

A  glimmer  of  lights  in  the  library,  and 
a  murmur  of  childish  voices,  reached  them 
as  they  stepped  noiselessly  upon  the  piazza.  Suddenly  the 
soft  strains  of  a  flute  rose  on  the  silent  night,  thrillingly  I 

Like  all  people  who  love  music  inartistically,  Mr.  Slaughton 
had  the  intuition  of  attaching  certain  strains  to  particular 
ges  of  his  life,  so  that  they  seemed  part  and  parcel  of  himself, 
as  one  sets  words  to  a  song ;  and  joy  or  sadness  swayed  his 
sensibilities,  as  his  memories  were  sweet  or  bitter. 

So  full  of  pathos  seemed  the  familiar  reel,  which  the  player 


A  Posse  Ad  Esse.  449 

was  weaving  in  threads  of  melody,  and  so  many  thoughts  twined 
among  them,  that  he  stood  breathless  till  she  had  finished,  and 
laying  down  her  flute,  arose  and  went  over  to  a  corner  alone, 
while  the  children  chatted  merrily  together. 

The  lamp  shone  full  upon  her  where  she  sat.  A  little  paler, 
he  thought,  than  he  had  known  her,  full  of  dignity,  ravishingly 
beautiful  !  The  same  simple  dress,  long  braids  of  raven  hair, 
but  her  expression  was  changed ;  her  face  was  glorified  by  suf 
fering,  matured  by  her  year  of  trial,  so  that  there  was  gentle 
sweetness,  as  well  as  conscious  power,  underlying  her  earnest, 
steady  truth. 

When  she  put  up  her  hand  and  dashed  off  the  tears  which 
had  gathered  in  her  eyes,  the  man  who  watched  her  was  not 
surprised  ;  he  felt  a  like  moisture  filling  his  own,  and  he  knew 
she  was  thinking  of  him.  He  had  come  home  on  purpose 
to  find  out ;  but  with  such  an  array  of  doubts  to  quell,  be 
fore  his  happiness  could  be  certain,  and  such  an  overwhelming 
sense  of  his  unworthiness  to  possess  so  much  beauty  and  good 
ness,  he  hesitated,  and  felt  his  heart  faint  within  him. 

A  jubilant  burst  of  waltz-music  from  the  piano  in  the  long 
drawing-room  caused  a  quick  shifting  of  the  figures  before  him  ; 
and  Perdita  came  to  the  window  almost  close  enough  to  touch 
his  hand,  before  she  lifted  Betty  in  her  arms,  pillowing  the 
child's  golden  head  on  her  breast,  and  moved  away  among  the 
others.  A  soft,  sweet  smile  lighted  her  wonderful  eyes,  and  just 
parted  her  lips,  as  they  all  trooped  through  the  door,  leaving 
silence  behind  them. 

"  Come  away,  Sam  !  "  whispered  Chandos.  "  You  really 
must  put  off  your  revelation  a  little  longer.  Such  a  sudden  sur 
prise  might  be  dangerous,  fatal !  But  listen  to  me  !  You  have 
no  idea  what  frail  creatures  these  tender  women  are  ;  take  a 
married  man's  advice,  I  entreat  you  ;  let  me  go  first  and  break 
the  news  of  your  coming ;  let  me  do  it  gently." 

Mr.  Slaughton  twisted  impatiently  away  from  the  friend  who 
was  shaking  with  internal  laughter. 


450  A  Posse  Ad  Esse. 

"  Leave  me  alone,  Chandos  !  If  you  wait  another  minute, 
I'll  pull  off  this  cursed  stuff  and  leave  you  and  your  plan  in  the 
lurch  entirely." 

"  Don't,  Samuel,  1  beg  of  you;  be  discreet,  be  wUc,  be 
patient.  There,  they  are  going  to  wait/,  and  we  shall  have  an 
admirable  chance  to  enter  quietly  ;  now  then  ! 

The  young   people  were   hardly  afloat  in  the  dance,  wlx^e 
music  Mrs.  Richard  1'ritchard  was  playing  with  admirable  time 
and   emphasis,  when    Hannah   entered   and   whispered    in    her 
mistress's  ear  :  "Two  gentlemen  in  the  library,  wanting  ; 
you." 

Mr.  (ioldsmith  and  a  brother  artist,  who  asked  a  few  hours' 
hospitality  ;  "  Belated,  out  sketching  ;  great  liberty,  and  » 

The  brother  artist  was  a  tall,  broad-shouldered  fellow,  with 
blue  eyes,  full  rolling  lips,  which  were  shaded  by  a  black  mus 
tache,  curled  up  like  a  brigand's  at  the  ends,  and  a  shock  of 
thick  black  hair  covering  his  head  ;  his  eyebrows  met  in  the 
middle,  and  were  long  and  bushy.  He  did  not  seem  to  have 
much  to  say  for  himself,  leaving  Chandy  to  do  the  talking. 

Perdita  received  them  courteously.  "Most  happv.  Mr. 
Goldsmith, — pleasant  surprise — always  welcome.  Stop  all 
night,  of  course  ;  never  shut  our  gates  on  benighted  strai; 

She  showed  Chandos  to  his  old  room,  that  he  might  refresh 
his  travelling  toilet ;  and  she  made  his  friend  comfortable  in 
her  husband's  apartment. 

She  did  this  on  a  second  thought ;  the  first  words  the  brother 
artist  uttered,  she  lifted  her  head,  turned  on  him  the  full  radi 
ance  of   her  illumined    face,  and  flashed   into   his    a   burning 
glance  from  her  intense  eyes,  and  when  she  laid  her  fmu 
his  for  the  American  hand  shake,  she  used  all  her  force  to  Bl 
them,  so  that  no  tremor  should  be  felt  by  him. 

After  they  were  bestowed,  she  ran  and  called  Dolly,  begging 
her  to  remain  and  keep  her  company  while  the  gentlemen  were 
in  the  house. 

"  It  is  not  proper,  you  know,  Dolly,"  said  she,  with  a  strange, 


A  Posse  Ad  Esse.  45 1 

excited  laugh,  "  for  me  to  keep  them  here  by  myself.     I  might 
entertain  angels  unawares." 

"Of  course,  Perdita,  I'll  stay.     But  why  are  you  so  merry?" 

"  I  feel  flurried,  Dolly,  dreadfully  flurried.  It  is  so  long 
since  I  have  had  any  such  guests  !  It  is  such  a  wonderful 
thing  to  happen  to  me  !  I  can  scarcely  believe  my  senses  ! 
Oh,  Dolly,  I  am  so  happy  !  " 

When  the  artists  descended,  the  young  hostess  had  regained 
her  composure,  though  her  eyes  were  shining  through  wet 
lashes,  and  her  crimson  cheeks  outvied  the  rose.  She  was 
dignified  and  hospitable,  however,  and  conversed  easily  with 
the  strangers. 

"  As  a  painter,"  said  she,  addressing  the  black-haired  one, 
"  you  must  take  great  interest  in  pictures.  I  shall  enjoy  show 
ing  you  some  which  Mr..  Slaughton  finished  before  he  went 
abroad.  Perhaps  you  do  not  know  that  my  husband  is  in 
Europe.  When  he  returns  I  think  the  world  may  prepare  to 
be  astonished." 

Taking  up  a  lamp,  she  led  the  way  to  the  studio,  while 
Chandos  studied  her  curiously.  Did  she  know  the  man,  or  did 
she  not  ?  She  seemed  clear-faced  and  candid,  and  her  voice 
sounded  as  smooth  as  the  tones  of  her  flute. 

"  This,"  said  she,  pausing  before  the  Ruth,  "  this  fair  crea 
ture  is  a  portrait  of  Miss  Bradshaw,  a  friend  of  Mr.  Slaughton's 
early  youth  ;  it  is  a  much  better  finished  picture,  you  perceive, 
than  this  one  of  me,  and  I  believe  it  is  a  striking  likeness  ;  but 
I'm  told  he  painted  that  in  the  first  blush  of  life's  best  illusions 
— painted  it  con  amore.  It  is  quite  a  romantic  story  ;  would 
you  like  to  hear  it,  sir?" 

"  No  !  yes  !  of  course,  any  tale  would  come  gracefully  from 
such  eloquent  lips,"  stammered  the  guest. 

"  You  flatter  me,  I  am  afraid.  Now  this  same  Sabrina  has  a 
tongue  of  silver.  Perhaps  I  weary  you  ;  you  are  not  attending. 
I  dare  say  I  was  premature  in  my  exhibition,  and  I  forgot  that 
artists  are  apt  to  be  jealous — are  they  not,  Mr.  Goldsmith  ?  " 


452  A  Posse  Ad  Esse. 

"  Of  each  other,  you  mean  ?  " 

"  Of  course,  what  else  could  I  mean,  sir  ?  Come,  let  us 
descend,  though  it  does  seem  a  pity  to  leave  that  gorgeous 
creature  shut  up  in  darkness.  I  think  if  you  will  lend  the  help 
of  your  strength  to-morro\v,  I'll  hang  it  in  the  parlor." 

"/think  you  won't  do  anything  of  the  sort,"  muttered  the 
brother  artist,  as  he  followed  the  lamp  like  its  slave  down  the 
stairs,  and  the  tripping  steps  of -the  handsome  girl  who  held  it. 

As  soon  as  she  had  placed  her  light  on  the  table  and  seen 
her  guest  seated  in  a  safe  corner,  she  followed  Mr.  Goldsmith 
out  upon  the  piazza,  whither  he  seemed  to  have  gone  for  a  safe 
and  solitary  chuckle  ;  at  any  rate  he  interrupted  himself  in  an 
exercise  which  sounded  amazingly  like  it  when  he  saw  his 
hostess  approaching  him. 

»k  here,  Mr.  Goldsmith,  is  this  fair?"  said  she  angrily. 

-What  fair,  Mrs.  Slaughton  ?  " 

"To  expose  me,  a  weak,  trembling,  suffering  woman,  to  such 
a  trial  of  her  fortitude  and  self-command.  How  did  you  know 
but  I  should  be  surprised  into  throwing  myself  into  that  man's 
arms,  or  at  his  feet  ?" 

"  Well,  why  didn't  you  ?  that  would  have  ended  the  masque 
rade  en  rtglt,  and  I  could  go  home  to  my  Bertha." 

•  !  oh,  no,  sir  !  I  was  spared  that.  He  left  me  ;  he 
must  sue  for  pardon.  Thank  heaven  !  I  was  mistress  of  my 
self.  Now,  tell  me,  what  does  this  ridiculous  farce  mean  ? 
Why  does  Samuel  Slaughton  come  to  his  house  in  a  black  wig 
and  false  whiskers?" 

••  Well,  you  see,  they  shaved  off  his  hair  in  a  fever  he  had, 
and  it  has  not  grown  out  much  yet ;  and  he  has  never  let  his 
beard  grow  since.  I  think  he  made  a  vow  not  to,  till  he  had 
accomplished  a  certain  adventure  and  won  a  certain  great 
prize  which  he  infinitely  desires.  I'll  tell  you  what  he  said  to 
nif,  vebatim  ct  literatim,  and  then  you  can  judge  for  yourself: 
I  must  SL-C  my  wife  ;  I  must  hear  her  talk  ;  I  must  find  out 
whether  she  loves  me,  before  I  venture  my  happiness." 


A  Posse  Ad  Esse.  453 

"  And  how  does  he  expect  to  find  out  ?  " 

"It  is  my  full  and  positive  belief  that  he  knows  already." 

"  It  is  not  mine  then,"  replied  she,  leaving  him  in  a  hurry. 

She  found  the  brother  artist  waiting  for  her  when  she 
entered  the  door — in  fact,  she  nearly  ran  into  his  arms. 

"  Come  out  into  the  conservatory  with  me,"  said  he  authori 
tatively." 

"  There  is  nothing  there  to  look  at,"  replied  she,  trying  to 
push  past  him.  "  All  the  plants  are  in  the  borders." 

"  There  will  be  something,  when  you  are  in  there,"  was  his 
reply. 

"  Oh,  well,  if  you  will,  I  suppose  I  must,"  said  Perdita ; 
"  but  I  must  say  you  take  a  good  deal  of  liberty  for  a 
stranger." 

"  I  am  not  a  stranger,  Perdita  ;   I  am  your  husband  !  " 

She  took  the  arm  he  offered  her,  palpitating,  and  she  stepped 
by  his  side  without  another  word. 

"  Tell  me  now,  and  tell  me  truly,  "  said  he,  placing  himself 
in  front  of  her,  and  seizing  both  her  hands  in  a  firm  grip. 
"  Ho\v  long  had  you  been  in  the  Toptown  House,  when  I  met 
you  in  the  corridor  ?  " 

"  I  can't  exactly  tell  you  ;  don't  crush  my  hands.  I  had 
spent  some  of  my  time  at  Champlin's.  I  arrived  there  the 
night  before  at  half  past  six  o'clock." 

"  And  you  saw  me  talking  with  Sabrina  Penhurst  ?  " 

"  Yes,  sir,  I  did  !  and  I  heard  enough  to  convince  me  that 
my  hopes  were  dead." 

"  Then  you  did  not  hear  all,  and  you  heard  wrong." 

"  So  I  found  out  afterwards,  when  she  hunted  me  up  and 
most  nobly  insisted  on  explaining  everything.  I  was  terribly 
rude  to  her,  too,  before  I  gave  her  a  chance." 

"  And  yet,  after  you  had  found  out  your  mistake,  you  still 
kept  silence.  You  never  wrote  to  me  a  word." 

"  No  !  you  left  me.     I  did  not  leave  you." 

"  But  you  did  !  you  forbade  me  to  accompany  you." 


454  A  Posse  Ad  Esse. 

"  You  ought  to  have  known  better  than  to  have  minded 
that." 

•  IVrdita,  if  you  were  not  bound  to  me  bylaw,  would  you  be 
my  wife  ?  " 

"  Would  you  ask  me  ?  " 

"  I  do  ask  you  now.  Will  you  pardon  the  past,  and  truly 
love  me  in  the  future  ?  " 

'•  Till  death  us  do  part,"  answered  she  solemnly. 

There  was  a  moment's  silence  between  the  pair,  who  heard 
each  other's  hearts  beat  in  their  first  warm,  close  embrace,  and 
then  Perdita  broke  away  from  him. 

"Sam,"  said  she,  "please  take  off  that  horrid  black  stuff 
from  your  face  (I  never  could  bear  black  haired  men),  and  tell 
me  when  yon  first  began  to  love  me." 

"  I  think  ever  since  1  first  touched  your  hand,  and  you  so 
coolly  said,  '  1  will.'  " 

"  That  is  quite  a  long  while  ;  well,  I  couldn't  tell  you  when 
I  began  to  love  you.  It  certainly  was  not  when  I  heard  m\ 
styled  an  Kthiop  by  a  gi-ntleman  who  ought  to  have  known  that 
the  old  Greek  word  means  sun-burned  ;  and  yet  you  see  1  am 
not  darker  then  a  Hellene,  and  if  you  will  look,  you  will 
observe  there  is  no  lotus-bud,  meaning  south,  on  my  halter," 
said  she  archly,  showing  him  the  end  of  her  snood. 

The  tears  would  come,  in  spite  of  her  running  on,  and  she 
was  forced  to  wipe  them  away. 

.1  love  me  now,  and  I  am  satisfied,"  replied  he,  obeying 
her  and  flinging  his  disguise  away. 

"Then  let's  go  in  and  dance  this  waltz." 

"  I  thought  you  told  me  you  couldn't  dance." 

:  1  never  told  you  I  could  not  learn  with  proper 
and  attention.      There  is  an  excellent  master  in  Toptoan, 

;  had  to  take  the  children  there  for  their  lest  .  I  thought 
it  would  be  a  pity  to  waste  valuable  time  sitting  about,  win.-n  I 
could  as  well  be  tripping.  So  I  got  myself  taught  as  a  child , 
and  1  have  not  put  away  childish  thi;. 


A  Posse  Ad  Esse.  455 

"  Humph  !  while  my  young  wife  has  been  growing  young, 
I,  her  old  husband,  have  been  losing  all  the  tricks  of  my 
youth.  I  am  afraid  my  old-time  capers  are  out  of  fashion. 
However,  we'll  tread  a  measure,  if  it  were  only  to  give  me  a 
chance  to  get  my  arm  around  your  waist.  Ah  !  what  a  slender 
little  waist  has  my  nut-brown  maid." 

Afier  the  waltz  was  over,  and  they  two  stood  apart  in  a  cor 
ner,  Perdita  turned  to  her  partner  with  a  smile  which  had  a 
little  dash  of  trouble  over  it. 

"  I  must  ask  you  a  question  !  " 

"  I  am  all  ears  !  " 

"Not  quite;  and  still,  yes,  speaking  after  the  manner  of 
men."  She  critically  examined  his  auricles,  which  were  truly  of 
generous  proportions.  "  You  remember,  I  dare  say  the  pic 
tures  I  so  politely  showed  you  this  evening,  upstairs?" 

"  I  seem  to  think  I  do.  I  will  owe  you  one  for  that  per 
formance." 

"  Oh,  no,  you  owe  me  nothing.  I  have  forgiven  all  your 
trespasses.  Tell  me,  and  tell  me  truly,  am  I  as  beautiful 
in  your  eyes  as  your  golden-haired  Ruth — as  your  first 
love?" 

"  Perclita,  my  dear — no,  no,  don't  shrink  away  from  me. 
I  will  not  forget  that  the  room  is  full  of  curious  people  still 
exclaiming  over  my  advent.  I  will  be  decorous,  for  is  not 
Dickey  Pritchard  watching  us  ?  Rest  assured,  that  my  stand 
ard  of  beauty  is  entirely  changed.  I  admire  brunettes,  and  I 
dote  on  the  brownest  of  them  all — my  wife  Perdita.  Have  I 
made  it  strong  enough  ?  If  not,  I'll  swear  !  " 

"Oh,  yes;  don't  swear.  Remember  I  am  a  parson's 
daughter,  and  I  don't  approve  of  profanity.  Well  !  we  were 
nanied  in  haste  to  repent  at  leisure,  were  we  not?" 

••  1  never  repented  ;  but  if  you  say  so,  we  will  go  and  stand 
p  in  your  father's  old  parlor  and  let  him  tie  us  over  again — so 
that  we  can  say  '  I  will '  with  vim,  and  mean  it." 

"  No,  oh,  no,"  replied  she  in  a  soft  voice,  remembering  how 


456  A  Posse  Ad  Esse. 

the  hand  which  joined  theirs  that  day  was  turning  to  dust. 
'•  I  am  satisfied  with  the  knot  as  it  is." 

••Well,  then,  I'll   espouse  you  as  Joseph  espoused  V 
'If  thou  consentest  to  be  my  wife,  accept  this  token.'     We  are 
told  by  the  fathers  that  that  was  the  love-making  of  the  carpen 
ter  to  his  bride,  and  she  agreed  to  the  contract  and  took  his 
offering  ;  will  you  have  mine  ?  " 

He  pulled  a  golden  eagle  from  his  pocket  and  placed  it  in 
her  hand. 

"  Ah,  yes  !  I  do  remember,  you  long  ago  promised  to  pay 
my  housekeeper's  wages  in  gold.  I  suppose  this  is  the  first 
installment  of  that  bargain.  I'll  have  a  hole  bored  in  it  and 
wear  it  around  my  neck  for  luck." 

"  I  expect  and  intend  to  be  in  myself  and  mine  all  the  good 
luck  you  can  ever  wish  for,  or  dream  of.  I  suppose  you  are 
still  up  in  your  Latin,  and  will  be  able  to  interpret  an  old 
proverb,  '  A  posse  ad  esse.' " 


THE    END. 


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